Well we finally gave up on the farm pond.
After 2 years of trying to get it to hold water it was filled in last week. The pond continued to leak in multiple areas and even began to leak at the earth berms.
Filling In Failed Farm Pond
Near as we can surmise the loose shale underneath the pond kept shifting and making drain pockets into a layer of sand. If the pond had been located about 50 feet from where it was it may have held water. So much for reclaiming old coal strip mine ground.
Working On Filling In A Farm Pond
Such a disappointment and what a waste of money. Without a doubt the pond was the biggest farm failure of our lives.
It cost $18,000 and there is not a thing to show for it.
A few people suggested running pigs or other livestock in the bottom of the pond to compact the soil and clay. That couldn’t have worked because two walls of the pond were steep and not shallow. Several people have asked about putting a liner in the pond. We declined to do that because the costs were absolutely prohibitive.
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As far as I was concerned, enough time and money had already been wasted.
Not to mention that the empty pond on such a steep hillside was a recipe for a serious tractor accident.
We aren’t the only ones who are disappointed. The local fire chief just shook his head when he came to see our failed pond. The fire department would have loved a big pond too.
I guess the moral to the story is – “Sometimes things don’t work out no matter how well they’re planned for.”
Farm Pond Gone
