I was just curious how this would be done. I mean some people have ponds that are 4 acres or more on their property and I was wondering how that is achieved. I mean it's not like they dig a hole in an afternoon, grab their garden hose and let it fill up. Also how much would such a thing cost?
It depends on where you live. In Nevada for example putting in a large pond is quite the undertaking with an extensive permitting process. You have to have water right and be permitted to store water in a pond. You have to meet certain criteria if the pond holds a large volume of water and have dam safety inspections and permitting through the environmental protection agency. Once you are legally allowed to create a pond, then it is large excavation and may need lining and corrosion control along the banks. Normally large ponds have surface water inlets like ditches, creeks, etc, and would not be filled with a hose.
Well basically yes. You hire a 20 ton excavator for a couple of days and dig a big hole. Of course that might cost $100 an hour... More likely they find a natural hollow or channel and build a dam across it. Might only need to be 6 ft high to dam up quite a big area thats 2 to 5 ft deep. It can get more technical depending on the soil structure, and the level of your water table, but with our local terrain and volcanic soil structure I could give you a 4 acre pond in an hour with a decent excavator. Ian
