The dream of a pond on every farm is more popular today than it ever has been in the past.
Visualize a beautiful clean pond with lush green grass surrounding it and trees in the area. Visualize animals playing around the pond and if you choose to have fish in your pond, continue to visualize them swimming in the clean water.
Creating a beautiful and effective farm pond is much more than just digging a hole in the ground and waiting for water to fill it.
There are many steps you need to take to maximise the success of your farm pond and maintain the farm pond seasonally.
This guide provides useful information about farm ponds and will give you an overview as to what a farm pond is, and the types of farm ponds you are able to have on your farm or ranch.
What Is A Farm Pond?
Farm ponds are small ponds or tank-like structures, on most occasions created with the intention to have them function as catchment areas for the water collected from the land surrounding the pond.
They are an important source of water for livestock, as well as being used as a means to irrigate your crops during dry periods.
If your goal is to maintain an aquaculture system, farm ponds would be very beneficial to you.
Farm ponds are also important to minimize the effects of flooding and fires and to provide protection from extreme weather events.
During the rainy season, farm ponds can hold water and provide that water during dry periods for use in watering crops.
Types Of Farm Ponds
Generally, there are two categories of farm ponds.
These are dependent on the condition of the land and the source of water.
1. Depending on the topography of the land
Depending on the pond’s location, they can either be embankment ponds or excavated ponds.
Embankment ponds
Across a stream of water, you will build the following pond types.
Ponds like this are frequently found on steep sides, where the water naturally runs into the pond from a slope. They can either be built on a gradual slope or at a steep angle.
In addition to the above information, the size(s) of the ponds will be determined by the total volume you are attempting to capture.
Another way to locate a pond is to look for an area that is depressed.
This is a method of construction most commonly used by people who wish to reduce their site excavation to an absolute minimum when building a farm pond.
Excavated/Dug out ponds
Generally speaking, excavated earth ponds are placed in flat areas.
Typically, if you want to create enough pond capacity, you will need to dig a good amount of earth out of excavation ponds.
Therefore, if you require a small water supply, you may choose this type of pond.
2. Depending on the source of water
Depending on where your pond will be sourcing water from, there are two types of ponds.
These are spring or off-stream storage ponds.
Spring ponds
If you’re situated in the mountainous regions of your state, where water is emerging from the earth, then the best way to create a personal workout area is to create a workout pond.
The workout pond will pull its water using natural streambeds.
Off-stream storage ponds
Big ponds are often found in areas that have seasonal streams.
The streams flow into the ponds, and when the streams run dry, the ponds can provide living water to the ecosystem.
The ponds act as a safe channel for collecting water from the river.
Where Do You Get Water For Your Farm Pond?
Not all ponds source their water from the rains or the stream.
There are several water sources you can use to fill your pond.
Ground Water
Groundwater sources can provide the water that will fill the pond’s tank.
In general, groundwater sources are most commonly located in lowland areas where there is a high groundwater table.
When isolated from other sources of water, groundwater sources alone may not be adequate to keep a pond full continuously.
Groundwater may be scarce or dependent entirely on soil drainage, but it does play an important role in the sustainability of a pond or other surface runoff using a combination of both surface runoff and groundwater sources.
Springs
A spring is formed when water that lies below ground becomes compressed (under pressure) to maintain a strong flow of water above ground.
In most cases, springs produce clear, fresh, and clean drinking water. They can be used as an excellent source of clean water for your farm pond.
Streams
It is tough to get the authorization to block a whole stream for your pond.
Instead, you can build a diversion to help fill your pond.
Wells
To use a pump, you will need to install one at your well, which is where you get your water for use on your farm.
By using this method, you can ensure a consistent supply of water from your well to keep your farm or fish pond full of water.
During dry periods when you may not be able to rely on natural rainfall or stream flow, accessing the well for water would be a great option for keeping your pond filled.
Surface runoffs
For small ponds, you can take advantage of the surface runoff from rainfall to create one.
If snowmelt is your primary source of water for your pond, this will likely be a seasonal pond.
How Do You Build A Farm Pond?
Creating a farm pond isn’t just a simple project involving creating a hole and filling it with water.
You must fully understand the specific needs of your area.
Certain areas have very good conditions for creating a farm pond; others do not.
Reminder: Before you even think about starting a farm pond, you must first confirm what the environmental authorities want for your area. You must get permission to change any existing body of water on your property if you will interfere with the flow of water in the local streams.
Once you have received permission to continue, keep reading. This is how you can make your farm pond.
Step 1: Choose a design for your pond
It is essential how the proper design for a pond may dictate where you will build, the size and depth of your pond.
The most common type of pond would be an excavated pond. A general guideline for designing an excavated pond follows:
Collect Data
Gather information about your farm’s topography, rainfall, temperatures, evaporation, etc. and be sure to be accurate.
The local natural resources conservation service can help provide you with the data that you need.
Also, it’s important to note what types of animals will use the pond on your farm.
Estimate your capacity
The capacity of a pond can be determined based on the type and number of animals that use the pond.
Livestock such as horses and cattle are generally heavier than smaller livestock (hogs, sheep, goats) and therefore will need more water than smaller livestock.
It is recommended that when designing your pond you increase the total volume by 10% to account for evaporation.
Choose your water source
If you need to find nearby streams or the water table level in your region, topographic maps will help.
Choose your pond’s depth
To be discussed in a few seconds.
Select the best site for the pond
Building a pond down a slope can be the easiest location to build a pond, but you will want to confirm your choices when researching the property through aerial maps or a map of the property.
When selecting the location for a pond, select an area that has good access. This means selecting a location that does not require the removal of trees.
The location selected for the pond must have good base material; provide little or no seepage and have easy access to a natural river for any potential spillover or during any potential emergency.
Determine your soil composition
A preferrable site will be somewhere with high clay-soil content.
How does your topography affect your pond?
When designing a pond, it is very important to understand the topography of your property.
The shape and depth of your pond will change based on this topography if you are going to be constructing an excavated pond; the size of your dam will change based on the topography if you are going to be using an embankment-style pond.
The slope that is present on your property will determine the amount of runoff water that is produced from your property. This will affect the complexity of how your pond will be designed.
In developing a farm pond you may find many articles that suggest building your pond in an area that does not require a lot of excavation.
Shallower and wider ponds tend to have a higher evaporation loss than deeper ponds.
Also, if you have a good slope, you may not need to excavate at all, a simple U-shaped bund or berm on the lower side of your pond may create a dam that will hold your water in place.
How deep are farm ponds?
When constructing your farm pond, ensure the dimensions and water depth will accommodate your expected usage, by calculating how much sedimentation you will experience over time, and how much water will seep away from the pond.
Sedimentation will build up, and add to the depth of the pond’s water, meaning you need to allow for this.
Additionally, you’ll also need to account for the quantity of water you anticipate losing from your pond due to seepage.
As such, the depth of your pond’s water will have an incredibly important function in determining how long you can hold the water you’ve harvested.
The deeper your pond’s water is, the more water you can store for the time that you need it. Earlier in the article, you were told how deep the pond should be.
When constructing your pond, aim to create a pond that holds at least 2.5 meters of water.
You will also find that this is an ideal amount of water to provide for the farm and keep evaporation to a minimum. Furthermore, digging this depth of a pond is achievable using the average tools of everyday work (you do not need specialized equipment).
Step 2: Dig your pond
The hardest part of designing a pond is selecting the right location, which is now completed.
Next, it’s time to get started digging your pond. You can use the data you collected during your land survey to help determine where to dig.
Remember to always include an emergency spillway when planning a pond so you can safely drain any excess water from the pond as needed.
This emergency spillway is always located at the deepest part of the pond, and it provides a controlled way to remove excess water from your agricultural pond.
The size of your emergency spillway will depend on the water runoff from your property.
You can determine the size of your emergency spillway by using the Weir Formula, which calculates the velocity of water flowing over the emergency spillway.
- Q– anticipated discharge rate in m3/s
- C-coefficient of discharge, which depends on the type of Weir (rectangular, triangular, or trapezoidal)
- H– head the crest
- L-Length of crest
- m-exponent, which depends on the shape of the Weir’s opening
A dam’s spillways can either be unregulated, or be mechanically controlled, particularly with embankment ponds.
By having a spillway, you can prevent your pond from collapsing due to the large amounts of water being forced into the pond unexpectedly.
When creating a spillway, you should also plant some trees and grasses along the spillway to help prevent erosion and scouring of the soil and surrounding banks.
Controlling seepage
In choosing a pond location, you need to do a soil test to assess its make-up.
The main objective of this test is to verify if there is enough clay in the soil.
To find out the amount of clay present in your soil, you may follow the steps provided below.
- Take soil samples from the holes dug near the desired pond location; be sure to include soil beneath the surface.
- Put all the samples into one jar (one handful of each sample is sufficient), then add water and shake the jar with a lot of force for one minute.
- After shaking the jar, put it on a table to allow the mixture to settle undisturbed for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, the sand will settle at the bottom of the mason jar, silt will be in the middle of the mason jar, and clay will float on top of the silt.
- Using a ruler, measure how deep each of those soil layers are.
- To calculate the relative percentage of each soil layer use the following formula (the recommended mix for a pond is ~70% Sand, ~10% silt, and >20% Clay).
The extent of seepage will depend on the composition of your soil.
The more sand present in your soil, the more water will seep through. To limit the amount of seepage through your pond, you might consider removing approximately 30 cm (12 inches) of soil, then recompacting the remaining soil.
In the beginning, there will be a lot of seepage loss, but over time, due to the settling of the smaller particles from surface runoff into the bottom of the pond, the amount of seepage will be greatly reduced.
Don’t despair if your soil does not contain the minimum amount of clay that is recommended.
You could purchase additional soil from a professional landscaping company.
You could also add swelling materials, such as bentonite, to your mix. When you use bentonite, you will want to add a little bit of sand to make a good mixture.
Another option for pond lining is to use a thick sheet of polythene. Simply lay the polythene sheets out over the bottom of the pond, and then bond the sheets together with a hot iron.
After you have laid your polythene sheets, place approximately 15 cm (6 inches) of soil over the polythene to hold it in place when you fill the pond with water.
Step 3: Fill your pond
At this point, you will create a microclimate.
Aquatic plants and algae (and many other types) can stock your pond with a variety of species.
If you want to rear fish, be sure to find a pond liner made of materials that are safe for both plants and animals.
How Do Fish Get Into A Farm Pond?
If you are choosing to do aquaculture, then fishing your farm pond is an option.
You can also decide which fish to put in the pond based on what size your pond will be. It is important to remember that different types of fish need different types of environments in order to thrive.
Predatory fish like bass can be added to a pond by first filling it with bluegills so that the bass will have food.
How do you introduce fish to your pond?
If you have a pond that has a sloping edge, then fish that are native to the area will find their way into the pond.
However, if you are using an excavated pond, then you will need to buy fish.
The best place to find fish would be a large commercial fish hatchery in your area.
PLEASE DO NOT collect fish from streams around your area and bring them into the pond area without separating them from their natural habitat. Collecting fish this way can affect the success of your pond due to the fact that you may put plastic liners in your pond which could cut off the breeding areas for or places to hide for fish such as catfish. Fish also need hiding places such as rocks or plants, which you may not have in your pond.
The best seasons to stock your farm pond with fish would be usually in Spring or Fall. The more time your fish have to adapt to the new environment, the greater chances of them surviving and adapting successfully in the new habitats.
Proper Maintenance Of Your Farm Pond
The right method of maintaining and protecting your pond will increase the likelihood that it will continue to remain functional for a long period of time.
Planting vegetation around the edges of the pond will protect the pond from excess sediment.
When maintaining your pool, you should focus on the main cause of damage as follows:
Erosion
The exposed surface along the pond and spillways are severely affected by soil erosion.
A good cover of sod-forming grass will be an excellent cover.
Wave action
If you own an embankment pond, you will want to protect your dam wall with proper wave action protection.
Using a berm for protection is also a good choice. To enhance the berm for wave action protection, use vegetation cover.
Alternatively, you could use a boom with logs on one or two rows to provide wave action protection.
Make sure you have a chain and anchor installed at the base of the dam for the boom. Make sure the boom is framed so the logs will function as one unit.
Another option for wave action protection would be to use ripraps installed on the dam’s top and down the upstream side of the dam.
Conclusion
Creating a farm pond is not just a matter of digging a hole and filling it with water. It requires some design thought as well.
You should also consider the climate in your region along with the location of the pond.
If you’re considering building a farm pond and are unsure how to go about it, seek advice from an experienced landscaper or do your own research on your property.