How to drain a pond which keeps re-filling!

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:50 pm

Hello,
I have just moved into a house which has a pond in the back garden. I need to get shut of this as I have a small baby who has just started walking.
Firstly I punctured the lining of the pond in several places - but the water level did not fall.
Secondly I emptied the water using a bucket until the water level was a few inches from the bottom, this took about 2 hours last week. It was about 4 days later when I checked it again (bad working week) and the pond was full again. I blamed this on all the rain we had last week.
Then on Sunday, I used the same bucket to fill a wheelbarrow and emptied all the water up the garden (around the pond was getting a bit messy) in various places.
At last the pond was empty. I ripped the lining all around and took out most of the sludge until we could pull the lining free from the pond. Under the lining was more water, about 4 inches deep. We stopped there for a break but only about 3 - 4 hours later the pond had filled up to about 4 inches from the top.
This post is absolutely true, I kid you not, at first I thought some practical joker was filling the thing up as a joke.
So now I don't know what to do. All advice is very much appreciated. Thanks - Ste.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:55 pm

It maybe a spring, a high water table, or just water logged.

If you fill it in with a few wheelbarrow from up the garden it should sort it.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:33 pm

Thanks for the reply, sorry to seem a bit ignorant - but what is a high water table? Also a spring? Didn't DelBoy Trotter make a fortune from one of those?
When I come to filling in the hole, can I use the flags around the pond to bulk it up or am I best just using soil?
Thanks very much for your advice - Ste.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:41 pm

Spring water is where the water runs out of the ground from an underground source, the quality would depend on the ground make up, but very good in most cases.

The water table is how far you have to dig down before hitting water, in some areas it can be a couple of feet and less, especially marshy, boggy ground.

Just soil, unless you have a load of hardcore you want to get rid of, if so chuck it in the bottom first.

How big is the pond/lake and how deep.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:48 pm

Thanks for the reply, the pond is about 9 foot long and at it's deepest about 2 - 2.5 foot. No fish but about 50 frogs, and it's hourglass shaped. If it is a high level plate, would I have trouble once I just lay it with grass?
Thanks - Ste

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:55 pm

Once it's settled down it should be no different to the rest of the garden.

What is probably happening is, the water is draining back from the garden, so if you just keep putting more soil in the water should go, allbit a little boggy to start with.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:13 pm

Thanks for the reply.
Do you think I would be better using the wheelbarrow to pour the water down the drain rather into the lawn? This would maybe stop this absorbtion back to the pond and therefore not create any boggyness albeit short-term?
Thanks - Ste.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:18 pm

Emptying the pond will be like playing silly buggers with the Gods, the more you take out the more it will run back in.

I would start at one end and tip a few barrows in to see if it overflows or stays the same height.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:28 pm

Hello,
I will put a few wheelbarrow loads of soil in the pond. But which outlook is more favourable to me - 1. the pond overflowing - or - 2. the water level staying the same.
Sorry to ask (I know people reading this must think I'm stupid).
Also, can I use the pond scum as soil to start the re-fill?
Thanks - Ste.

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:31 pm

could be that is being fed from a soak away nearby
a soakaway is a underground area filled with stones and gravel connected to the roof to drain the rainwater via the ground in the garden

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:37 pm

The water staying the same, or should I say settling the same.

I think you'll find if you chuck half a dozen wheelbarrow loads in, the water will be the same height as it is now by the next morning/

You could fork the bottom if you have big wellies just to loosen it up a tad.

Yes the old silt etc can go in the bottom.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:42 pm

Hello,
Well thanks for all your answers Scruff, I have no more posers for you. As soon as I can I will post to anyone interested how I got on.
Ste.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:43 pm

Yes, get a few barrow loads in and lets us know, please.

Was forgetting,

You could always buy about 10 tonne of gravel and fill it up, but that costs.

meds123 · Post by **meds123** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:55 pm

Hello,
I was going to buy some Earth to fill it up, but would gravel be cheaper? Also, 10 tonne? Is that a fat finger quote or serious? If serious I will need to use those flags.
Ste.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:16 am

You don't say how wide it is but 9 x 2 feet is a big hole.

Do you have a reclamation site nearby, personally I would have a chat with a few local builders, and see if they can drop a load of top soil in your drive for a small consideration. Hard core or gravel would be best, but less like to get it cheap.

Remembering it costs then every time they take a load to the dump.

How many flags do you have, can they not be sold or are they broken.