Pond building

 
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anthony7812
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Post by anthony7812 » Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 9:04 pm

Long term project me and the wife agreed upon was building an acre or less pond on the property. Anyone build one here or helped someone ? Looking for ideas and maybe some tips on what to look out for or what maybe you wish you had done.


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 9:43 pm

Make sure ya find a good spring first!!! That will help. :roll: Make sure ya check with your local EPA/ Soil & Water people--that's REAL important-- In my County they were real helpful. As far as size requirements, berm regs--hell, they even helped me stock it.

 
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Post by Qtown1835 » Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 1:09 pm

Level of complexity will vary by municipality, but you already have one strike against you, trying to build in PA. If you have sizeable tract of land away from prying eyes, you can probably get away with constructing. Since you are in the middle of nowhere, I would think your installation would be much easier than someone in a suburban setting.
If you want to do it the "right" way, you will need to consult/permit from these agencies at some point during the build process: NRCS, Conservation District, ACOE, DEP and local municipality. I would first ask around locally and then reach out to a local engineer/surveyor to see what you will be getting into before jumping in head first. Permitting alone could put you over 10k before you put a shovel in the ground.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 5:01 pm

Sorry Q, but gettin an engineer is just a waste of$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Up here our DEC (Dept. of Environmental Conservation)-----I forget what letters ya use in Pa. BUT, when I did mine, they gave me all the paper work I needed to do it properly.

 
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gaw
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Post by gaw » Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 9:35 pm

Dig a hole by a spring. It's not your fault if it fills up with water. Now that it's full of water you can't mess with it because its a navigable water way. But seriously if you plan to be totally above board see your local governing body first to see how much red tape is involved. I knew a guy who built a pond in Pennsylvania twenty years ago, maybe more and he told me about all the conditions required to build his pond back then.

 
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Post by anthony7812 » Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 9:38 pm

I wish the local stories im hearing were the same situation as Fred's. Unfortunately they are mostly horror stories and shot down dreams I'm picking up on. Yea I've been told a few times today alone expect 8 to 10grand and a yearlong approval process before a shovel hits the dirt.

 
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Post by hank2 » Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 11:17 pm

Yet, they'll approve a couple of bottled water companies to drill down and pump out water nonstop. So much water it severely lowers the water table for farms many miles away. Not to mention major creeks.

Two of my farm owning uncles put ponds in on their properties in about 1960. One very big, the other about 30-40 ft. wide. I doubt that they had done much in the way of permitting back then. One of them, I believe, was a county ag guy and on the township board on the side at the time. That was about the time that fire/home/barn insurance went from a nuisance payment to bigger money. The insurance co.'s pushed hard for an onsite pond for a greatly lowered premium. That was then and that world is gone.


 
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gaw
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Post by gaw » Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 8:52 am

At least check into it. It could be cheaper than expected. Penn State extension service used to publish some good information on pond construction and management.

 
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Post by Qtown1835 » Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 9:40 am

anthony7812 wrote:
Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 9:38 pm
I wish the local stories im hearing were the same situation as Fred's. Unfortunately they are mostly horror stories and shot down dreams I'm picking up on. Yea I've been told a few times today alone expect 8 to 10grand and a yearlong approval process before a shovel hits the dirt.
I wouldn't let it derail your dram of having a pond, where there is a will there is a way. Ask around, you might be surprised it is more affordable than you think. Leeway may be available for construction of an agricultural use pond? I would keep poking around and see what you come up with. Might even be worth checking with a local excavator and see what their experiences are before reaching out to "The Man".

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 10:20 am

And insurance companies vary in what they cover and give credit for. You may get a discount on your homeowner's insurance for having a pond,.... depending on where you live.

Every insurance company questionnaire I've ever filled out wanted to know how far to the nearest fire hydrant, if home is in a city, or pond if rural. Worth a call ?

Paul

 
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gaw
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Post by gaw » Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 10:33 am

Sunny Boy wrote:
Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 10:20 am
And insurance companies vary in what they cover and give credit for. You may get a discount on your homeowner's insurance for having a pond,.... depending on where you live.

Every insurance company questionnaire I've ever filled out wanted to know how far to the nearest fire hydrant, if home is in a city, or pond if rural. Worth a call ?

Paul
On the insurance side of things they may want a fence put around it. Maybe not required but for a lower rate. The illusion of private property is so frustrating.

 
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Post by freetown fred » Tue. Nov. 29, 2022 11:31 am

Really A, don't give up on it--my kids learned how to swim, fish, paddle a canoe--bon-fires. etc. Good family stuff--did I leave out ice skating??? My home insurance went down cause local hydrant is around 10 miles away!!! I think checkin out Glens suggestion
4 posts above would be a start!!

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Wed. Nov. 30, 2022 6:56 am

My neighbors did a pond. A local excavator did it for nothing because he got the fill.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Nov. 30, 2022 8:04 am

https://extension.psu.edu/pond-agencies-and-permi ... nnsylvania

Contact your local conservation office and go from there.

 
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Post by carlherrnstein » Thu. Dec. 22, 2022 8:28 pm

Around here there are 3 steps to building a pond.

Step 1 dig a hole and build a earthen dam.

Pond is a mud hole

Step 2 drain and "seal" pond with clay or very expensive membrane.

Pond is still a mud hole

Step 3 bulldoze earthen dam into hole.

Enjoy wet spot where you tried to build pond and think of all the things you could have done with all that money.


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