How Deep Should A Pond Be?

Spudm · Jan 18, 2015

If you were hiring someone to dig a pond on your farm, how big and how deep do you think it should be?
Not in a wetland, mostly for aesthetics.

JDemaris · Jan 18, 2015

If a cold area, it needs to be deep enough not to freeze all the way to the bottom if you want all your water plants to survive. Some plants, like certain water lilies need at least 5 feet of water.

Larry NEIL · Jan 18, 2015

At least 6' to keep it from silting too quickly and filling with cattails.

Donald Lehman · Jan 18, 2015

I suppose it depends on what you are going to use it for. You said aesthetics. If that will be the only use then it can be fairly small and shallow. if you are going to build it to help lower your fire insurance costs then you need to talk to you SCS agent and your insurance company. If you want ducks an geese around it then it doesn't have to be very deep. Shallow makes it easier for the ducks to forage off the bottom. If you are going to add fish, then you need to construct the pond to suit whatever type of fish you are going to stock it with. Again your soil conservation service agent should be able to help you out.

rrlund · Jan 18, 2015

My uncle dug a lot of ponds around here with a drag line. He recommended 10-12 feet with fairly steep sides to prevent weed growth.

Mike (WA) · Jan 18, 2015

Illinois Larry has it right- need at least 6 feet, or you're just creating a swamp on the installment plan. Will fill with vegetation because light will reach the bottom. If you put fish in, get some tilapia, as they will help combat vegetation, and are also quite tasty.

Spook · Jan 18, 2015

(quoted from post at 07:41:43 01/18/15) At least 6' to keep it from silting too quickly and filling with cattails.

Around here, at least 11 ft, if you want fish to survive the winter. There isn't much flow into these ponds, so the fish need a deep pocket to go into to survive. And any pond will silt up, given enough time. Our water tables are pretty high in Michigan, pretty much any hole will fill with water. I was using a phd once, putting in a new fence, and I had water pouring out of the hole! It was actually bubbling up 6 inches over the lip of the hole. It's still wet all the time there.

Cory Schmidt · Jan 18, 2015

Don't know how deep. I just want to tell you don't do what the DNR did here. They put a pond right in the middle of a flood plain right in path of high water stream(deemed navigable(can float log)when full). Its dry most of time but after heavy rain thaw it fills up from draining off lots of acreage in the area. They said it would take years to fill. Next heavy rain it was over full and the buffer walls around the top were washed completely away.

Bob Bancroft · Jan 18, 2015

What aesthetics? Flora and fauna, or nice clean water? A shallow pond could be also called a marsh. Plants and animals will flourish.

Our pond is roughly 75' across, and 10' deep. Dug in the edge of a gully, it's just like a bowl. Dozer went down one side and back up the other- not a very big bottom. With that, weeds and algae are enough of a problem. We have large mouth bass, bluegill, and sterilized, permitted, southeast Asian grass carp for plant control.

David G · Jan 18, 2015

Either make it a marsh, or 10-12 feet deep with steep sides.

tim s · Jan 18, 2015

Deeper is better and what ever you do "Don't" put one of those cute little Islands in the middle of it....they make the pond half full of dirt from the beginning...

Rick Kr · Jan 18, 2015

Spud,

My pond is 200ft x 250ft. Half of it is around 8ft deep the other half tapers down to 17ft.

I think they made be do a 1:3 slope until I was 6 feet deep. Then I could increase it. A week or so with my buddys giant excavator and a rented offroad dump truck.

I use it for irrigation by the end of the summer its down 3 feet, but usually fills back up with fall rains.

The kids can swim and iceskate on it. I stocked it with catfish, bass and hybrid bluegills.

Heres a pic before it filled it.

Dave H (MI) · Jan 18, 2015

Quite tasty? That's a third world trash fish popular for feeding starving nations and filling the "seafood" portion of menus at low end dine-in chain restaurants. Up until several years ago the only place I ever saw one was at the local tropical fish stores. Anyway, most of the above is opinion and unimportant. What does matter is that tilapia won't survive water below 50 degrees which makes most of the US impractical for raising them. I do know a guy, manages an aquarium store locally, who raised a mess of them in an old above ground swimming pool one summer and then put them in his freezer. Guess you would have to love them to eat that many.

john in la · Jan 18, 2015

It really depends on where you live.
While some of these guys may have good reasons for saying deeper the better in the south 6 feet deep is about right.

You need 3 feet of water 3:1 sides to prevent aquatic life from growing on the bottom and anything over 4 feet deep does not create any more habitat for fish. You also run into stratification problems the deeper you go.
So digging the pond 6 feet deep gives you some room for silting.

Any size pond is good if it is for aesthetics. Let your taste and needs determine the size.
If you want fish the size is determined by the species and if you will feed them.
A small pond can accommodate stocked catfish that are fed but you need at least 1 acre if you want bass to spawn and survive along side bluegill.
Farm ponds

Richard G. · Jan 18, 2015

This one is about 5 feet deep on the close side and 8 feet on the far side near the trees. Spring fed. Get the NRC folks to help you. Around here they are good to work with.
We use a couple of grass carp to keep vegetation out. Great catfish and bream fishing. This pond is about 75 feet from the side of our house.
Built it with a pull type dirt pan, an A JD, LA Case and 8N Ford with a 3 point scoop. It is about 3/4 acre.
Richard in NW SC

ed will · Jan 18, 2015

Hi, you have to watch you don, t hit gravel seam
water won, t stay. Ed will

BushogPapa · Jan 18, 2015

Around here (central Ohio), generally there is 12-14 ft over-burden over Limestone..
If a Pond is dug too deep, it may loose water.

If you are talking "Pond (Water enters and not flow out in a good rain), you have more options to use Blue Dye to color the water and help control algae.
Mine is a "Lake" and have to pick and choose when to treat algae/moss or it just washes to the river (Scioto River)..
1/3 side angle is good if not a swimming area and I would make it as deep as you can..
25 years later, you will probably be wanting to remove silt from the bottom..BTDT Twice...6 FEET of silt each time..
Amoras are fun to watch and be surprised by when you walk by the water..! They can sure give you a startle and a GOOD Splash..(like tossing a Corner-Post into the water!)...probably top out at 35-50 lb..!!
Ron.

rustred · Jan 18, 2015

mine is 22 ft. deep. donated the dirt for the county road in nov. 1999.they kept going till they hit the blue clay and that was quit time. stopping place for moose to drink and Canada geese and ducks nest here too. still want to stock with fish.
you need it deep enough not to freeze if you are in cold climate. and also so fish don't run out of oxygen.

Mike (WA) · Jan 18, 2015

Well, I may be "third world", but I know what I like!

old · Jan 18, 2015

A lot depends on what you want it for. Just livestock water just as deep as it has to be to keep water in it 24/7/365. Now if you want to stock it MO conservation says 8 ft min year round and 12-18 feet better

tim s · Jan 18, 2015

yes it depends on what you have "under" it,, shale and stone will let the water flow on out through the bottom, a good clay bottom is the best, and deeper water is better for fish,,and of course it will depend on how deep your check book is too....

Chris Jones · Jan 18, 2015

I'm in NC. Let me just throw in to consider liability risk and the potential draw it will create for trespassers. These may or may not be a problem for you but... Just like with a pool. You might be a adult living alone and never give anyone permission to use the pool but the law requires a fence around it. You might never allow people access to your pond but it's a real attraction to kids and they or even adults might trespass to get to it. While I think it's their fault if they get hurt or die--you might be sued anyway. A shallower pond might be a bit safer as if you have to go rescue the child in over their head you could stand up at least in more of it. Gentle sloped sides help prevent kids getting in trouble too. There are also plenty of instances where ponds freeze over a bit and kids decide it's a great idea to go out on it but fall through. Here it's like never frozen enough for that but they'll try.

Lastly a lot of ponds here (that don't have water constantly flowing in and out) smell terrible in the summer and get a lot of green nasty gunk growing over them.

I'd love a pond but when/if I have a place for one I'll have to weigh all these options myself. If it's over my head I'll make sure to have some sort of basic john boat and or life ring nearby that could be used in an emergency (ie. used by kid 2 when kid 1 falls through the ice after sneaking onto my property to skate).

jlewis457 · Jan 18, 2015

I hate to bring this up But check with local soil extension office some areas have depth and size restrictions and it really puts a kink in things when someone tells them and you dont and they come out and explain the laws in your area to you and then you pay your contractor to start putting dirt back in. You don't need to ask how I know this. I live in Ohio
John

Spudm · Jan 18, 2015

Thanks everyone for the great replies and insight!

ss55 · Jan 18, 2015

Some states have wetland regulations and protections. You might find a windfall that you can tile out a problem wet spot (old wetland) in exchange for creating your new pond (new wetland).

tim s · Jan 18, 2015

And open "Pandora's Box" while you fill the paper work out BTDT

ss55 · Jan 18, 2015

It's a hastle, but I wouldn't count on being able to hide a new pond in the future.

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 18, 2015

Lots of variables, as has been mentioned you need to make sure it has a bottom that will seal and hold water. I dug a small 1/3 acre pond last summer. I made it about 12' deep with steep sides. If I had a preference I would make it 20' deep but at that depth I hit gravel or limestone.

Dave H (MI) · Jan 18, 2015

That would be true! That's why I said it was meaningless opinion. I didn't want you to think I was arguing a point.

I just don't care for Tilapia.

Leroy · Jan 19, 2015

I also like them.

casenut1 · Jan 20, 2015

Depends on what you need to hide at the bottom.

How Deep Should A Pond Be?

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