Digging a pond on your property not only increases your property value, but water also creates peace and tranquility. JSR Land Clearing offers affordable pond excavation services in the Northeast Florida area. The size of your pond, your land’s topography and soil type can affect the pond digging process.
Before digging a pond, every project will entail the following:
- Site selection
- Topsoil removal
- Dam construction
- Spillway construction
A core dam or trench is constructed all the way around the perimeter of the pond. Topsoil removal will then follow – we will pile up the dirt until topsoil excavation is complete. A bank slope is then carefully constructed. Unfortunately, not all soil holds water. If you need a pond liner or pond clay, we can help you with options available.
Things to consider when building a pond on your property:
- Permits: Many woodland activities, including building and maintaining a pond, require some form of permit. Additionally, new or modified ponds that will impact existing wetlands, waterways, or fish passage require additional levels of restrictions, regulations, and permits. Be sure to check with your local watermaster before construction begins.
- Water Source: The water source for your pond can be the natural water table, seeps or springs, surface runoff, or a combination of any of these. Note that Pumping water to supplement a pond can be expensive and affect the flow of any adjacent wells.
- Shape: Ponds can take on any geometric shape including rectangle, circle, or ellipse. However, you can create a natural shape by fitting the contours of the natural landscape. Locate the pond to retain existing trees and shrubs along or near the shoreline. Vegetation adds aesthetic value by casting reflections on the water, providing shade in the summer, and blending the man-made structure into the natural landscape.
- Size: People typically correlate size with surface water area, not water capacity. But a pond that is the size of a football field and a foot deep holds the same amount of water as a pond that is a quarter the size of a football field but 10 feet deep. Having a larger surface area but a shallow depth is not a good idea for woodland landowners who want to use the water for swimming or fishing, but it might work if you want to have a giant mud puddle in your backyard! To ensure a permanent water supply, a pond must be deep enough to meet its intended use and allow for seepage and evaporation. If warm-water fish production is the major objective of a pond, the pond needs to be at least 10 to 12 feet deep.
- Maintenance: After the pond is completed, property owners should plan and budget for periodic mowing, waterline debris removal, restocking fish, vegetation control, repairing docks, and maintaining the access road. Regularly check for signs of leaks or seepage. Do not expect pond levels to remain constant; evaporation happens, even with substantial water flow from seeps and springs.
