I have just had a pond dug out and it is not holding water. Does anyone know of anything that will make it hold water?

Crankbait72,

When ponds are new the water line will often fluctuate as the soils get saturated and the pond settles out. I've built several ponds and this has generally happened. As time goes forward, the fluctuations often dampen out and you kind of reach a state of equilibrium where, if it is still loosing water, then it won't get much better. AT that point, if the water loss is acceptable, you're good to go, but if it is unacceptable, then remediation is required. The period of time for this "damping out" as I call it, can last three months or so...sometimes longer.

Options for remediation are not generally easy. One option is to rework the area where the leak exists by draining the pond and bringing in good quality clay in the area that is leaking. This option is generally the most reliable way to fix it, but is also expensive. Another option is to drain the pond and then bring in a product such as sodium bentonite and work it heavily into the area where it leaks. This option is also expensive but IMO and experience has a far lower probability of success than the clay remediation option. A third option is less invasive and expensive, but also far lower probability of success and that is to add sodium bentonite to the water in the area that the leak is identified. A fourth option, which is well beyond most folks is to drain the pond and add a liner....very expensive, very.

Maybe you could answer some questions which might shed more light on the best approach to this problem.

What kind of equipment was used in construction and was it adequate to provide the necessary soil compaction? Is the leak visible? Can you see wet area(s) behind the dam? During construction, did you or anyone notice any areas of high sand concentration and/or gravel or particulate that would lessen the compaction factors of the clay? If so, those areas are the most likely source of leaks. How large is the pond?

Give us some more info....and wait a while to see if it settles out some. Nothing more discouraging to me than planning and building a pond only to have it leak....but recognize that most all ponds leak to some degree...it comes down to whether or not you can tolerate the leak and then decide on your approach.

p.s. Have you discussed the situation with the pond builder (assuming it wasn't you)?

Was it cored?

I do not know what cored is. It has a small tank, more like a mud hole there. In May he mad it about three times as big, that is maybe 20 yards wide and 40 yards long. It is about 7 feet deep in the middle. It filled up about 2/3 of the way with the big rain we had in May, but has be dropping ever since.

Could just be simple evaporation.

Fill a wide container w/water. Mark the water line on the pond. Set the container/bucket next to your mark out in the open, in full sun. Measure the fall in the water line of both each day. The difference in fall between the container/bucket and pond(if any) is an indication of your leak.

I beleive it is this dang tx heat my pool drops about an inch a day

Check this out: http://texaslakesandponds.com/soilsealants.html. It's not cheap but it works.