There are only a few main types of ponds: excavated, embankment, and combo. Let’s take a look.
Excavated
An excavated pond is just what it sounds like: an area of land that you dig out to make room for your pond. If you’re digging a small enough pond and enjoy a good bout of backbreaking labor, you can even do this with a shovel. Most hunters, however, want a bigger pond that they can landscape and set up blinds near.
If you’re going to excavate a pond, you’ll want to keep several items in mind:
- Where are the utilities? Nothing ruins a good day like busting open a water main, we’ll say that much. If you’re going to dig down, whether by shovel or by backhoe, you need to have a clear idea of where all utility lines are: gas, water, sewer, electrical, and so forth.
- Which existing structures might be affected by drainage? Expect your pond to occasionally overflow its boundaries. Whether you use weirs to control it more efficiently or simply allow the pond to flood, be aware of nearby structures and protect them.
- Where are the high and low areas? Pond Trade Magazine recommends you use “a site or laser level, determine the high and low areas where the pond will most likely be positioned. This gives you a better idea of any obstacles or challenges you might need to overcome when installing the pond.”
- What will need repair after excavation? Digging out giant holes is rarely a neutral activity. From getting equipment to the site to designating a dumping ground, your property will likely take a bit of a beating during the project. Plan for time after the project to get your house back in order, including repairing turf, re-graveling roads, replacing plants, and so forth.
Pond Trade Mag also advises that “When you begin your pond excavation, be sure to include ledges along the perimeter. If someone were to accidentally or purposefully walk into the pond, you want to avoid a dangerous drop-off. Ledges act as a safe staircase, as opposed to a slippery slope. They also add strength and stability to the pond. Terracing is much more stable and less likely to collapse than a steep, tall wall.”
Terracing also provides more protection to children and pets who might not know how to swim. Although practicing good pond safety is important in any case, additional protection for little ones is never a bad thing.
Note, too, that if you are excavating a pond as opposed to merely filling a depression, that could lead to extra hurdles to leap. That’s why we recommend to try and excavate a pond that does not connect to a stream or other waterway – either upstream or downstream. That way, you avoid additional permitting complications that often come with attaching your pond to existing waterways.
Embankment
An embankment pond uses an existing area past which water flows, damming the water to create the pond.
“Embankment ponds can be economically constructed on stream sites where the slope is steep enough to limit the size of the dam,” explains the Virginia DWR. These are appropriate for situations where an excavation pond won’t cut it. “Excavation ponds can be used in a variety of situations, but are typically constructed in flat areas where dams are not practical. Because excavation is very expensive, most ponds over one acre in size are embankment ponds.”
When you create a dam, though, you take on specific risks. As OSU explains, “It’s important to make sure water does not back onto an adjacent owner’s property or into an area of specific concern, and that there are no homes, buildings, or roads that would be affected by a dam failure.”
Combo
A combination pond is fairly common in areas where you have a likely pond spot but it isn’t deep enough. In that case, you might excavate the pond, then use it to dam up a waterway to create it. Note that any time you dam, you’re going to need to follow very careful permitting rules.
