We are seriously considering digging a small pond (5000 sq ft or less) on some land for use strictly as a dove attractant. The pond will around 50 X 100 and maybe 4-6 feet deep at the deepest point. There is not access to a well, but there will be access to a water source that can be hooked to a valve for daily water replacement. Does anyone have any comments/experience on pond liner vs bentonite as the impermeable base? The soil has not been analyzed so the amount of bentonite necessary is not known at this time. The location is Salado TX West of I35 if that helps with soil knowledge.

The more I read about the pros and cons of each, the more fearful I am of creating a pond which doesn't hold any appreciable water, no matter what the application used.

We have bentonite at our pond it's a little over a couple acres. Has never leaked. I've heard the liners can be punched through but have no experience with them.

Corps,
The downside of bentonite is that if the pond dries up, the bentonite can form cracks and become permeable. Has your pond dried out completely and still remained leak-free after refill?

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The downside of bentonite is that if the pond dries up, the bentonite can form cracks and become impermeable. Has your pond dried out completely and still remained leak-free after refill?

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I think you meant to say it would become permeable. It is impermeable to begin with, that's why the pond doesn't leak.

Just lined my 1 acre lake. The product you should use is call ESS-13. It is a vegetable based polymer that mixes with the soil. It is outstanding, gets stronger over time. The company is Seepage control. It does not work with all soil types but they can help determine if ESS 13 is the best option. Www.Seepagecontrol.com. It can also be used when water is already present.

Mine has never dried up we have a pump connected to our well.

72 - how much did it cost to line that lake?

I have a "pond" - actually a hole in the ground that was supposed to hold water, but doesn't - that was dug by previous owner. If this stuff works as advertised with water in the pond it could really save us a ton versus trying to remediate.

I had the O&G operator line two tanks. The first is awesome with 26 mil LDPE and then backfilled 3' with dirt. The second one they were not required to backfill and wildlife has trashed it as it filled. I'm thinking of relining and backfilling at least down the sides and enough of the bottom edges to prevent sluffing or sliding down. Cost to line it was about $ 25K.

The cost to line my 1 acre, including renting dozer, and roller and using their "certified" operator cost about 15k in total.

Thanks guys

Thanks for the info.

Any other examples out there that people are willing to share? Looking for size of tank, product used, and approximate cost.

Call the Bartlett Field Office of the USDA-NRCS. They can come out and have a look at it to see if a liner is even necessary and the soils have a potential to hold eater. There is always a possibility that there is enough clay around to line it without spending excess $$$$$$$. The best part is, their info is FREE!