Test hole

[Peg]

OK so I got around to digging a test hole and this is what I got (Wednesday)
1) 6-8"of top soil
2) 6-8 of red sandy clay
3)16"of dirt and hit hard clay at 32"total depth. At that point I was to tired to dig deeper :mad: . Need to go down another 4". Thought I would see what would happen if I added water
7:30 pm hole is full
Day 2 7:00am water dropped 1"
4:30 pm same day dropped one more 1"
Day 3 water has dropped a total of 6"
Day 4 am water has gone down 1' in 3 1/2 days
Is this a good or bad sign? So if the water is slow to leave does that mean it will be slow to come in as well? Sides have not caved in. I do know that is a good sign.

[Ian]

If you got down 32" and water is not coming in your hole that is a great start! When the ground water comes in and does not go away that is where the pond building blues comes in. Ground water will make soil unstable and the sides are more likely to cave in. We are in early spring and the highest I usually see ground water, so the lack of water at this time is good news. Soil conditions for a liner pond 4 feet deep say can be on the bad side if you don't do verticle walls . If you are hand digging over a few days or weeks leave the final sculpting till you are ready with the liner. If it rains while digging and the soil does not go mush and the sides do not wash down you will be laughing.

[Peg]

Thanks Ian thats the news I was hoping to hear.We had alot of snow this year and I would have expected the ground to be alot wetter then it was as it is still early in the year. The hole will be done by machine when we get all the pricing done. the liner will go in as soon as it is dug and filled. When the liner goes in is there a need to clean it or do I just fill and go?

[Ian]

No need to clean pond liner. Just fill and go..