How To Build A Rainwater Pond?
Are you looking to build a rainwater pond on your homestead?
If so you are in the right place! We will go over what you should know when creating a functional rainwater pond that can be used for a number of purposes. Think of all the water you could harvest from stormwater runoff.
If you’re an avid homesteader, then there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve got an eye for DIY. And if you do, then you probably also have a property on which you’d like to build a rainwater pond.
If that sounds like something that might interest you, then this article is for you! We’ll walk you through the process of building your own rainwater pond, from start to finish.
The First Step To Building Your Rainwater Pond
The first step to building your rainwater pond is to find the right location.
What does an ideal location look like?
Well, it will be a lower part of your property. You want your pond to be in a lower part, in order for water to naturally run to it.
The next thing I would look for would be your surrounding landscape.
What’s The Purpose Of The Rainwater Pond?
Let’s, say I am building a rainwater pond for my garden. I want to have natural resources that I can use to water my garden. In this case, you would want to have the pond near to your garden. So you should figure out what the main purpose of the pond is.
The Size Of Your Property For Building A Pond
I would also factor in the size of your property. If you plan on building a large pond then you will need more space. So make sure your pond will be able to serve its purpose on within your property.
Important Thing To Know Before Getting Started
I know that if you’re going to be moving a lot of dirt you could hit water or other lines that feed into your home. So make sure you know where these are ahead of time. You do not want to hit any pipes/lines and the like.
This is most important ahead of time.
Step 2 Start Digging
You are going to need to start digging a hole. The width and length as well as depth will be dependent on you. As well as your property. The larger the pond the more water it can hold and the smaller the less you can hold.
Digging By Hand Or Excavator
You have two choices. You either are going to be digging it by hand or with an excavator. Most small ponds you can dig by hand. If you are looking for something that can hold a lot of water I would go with a mini-excavator.
A mini-excavator could get you a good size pond a lot faster than by hand. You can rent one out and the money will be well worth it in my opinion.
Step 3 The Liner
Arguably one of the most important things you need. You can use clay to build a pond naturally. My best suggestion would be going with a pond liner. You can do multiple layers of a liner which will make it even stronger. If I am going to put my time and effort into something that I will be using for decades to come. I know that there are many quality pond liners, so do some looking for what suits you best.
I want it to do a good job once.
Once you have your liner in place, you should secure it with pikes, rocks, and other heavy things. I would cut any excess liner so that it all looks uniform and natural.
Step 4 Collecting The Rainwater
Rainwater harvesting is at the heart of having a pond. You want to be able to really implement rainwater harvesting to the fullest.
So you should now have a pond in a lower part of your property. It will collect rainwater naturally over time. To help speed up how fast it fills up you can do a few things. If you are not harvesting your rainwater from your roof you can funnel it to your pond. Using a PVC pipe a few five inches underground.
Or maybe you already do collect rainwater, you could have a pipe that will send overflow water to your pond.
You can also create a “trail” of rocks that lead to your pond. Preferable from a higher location. As the rainwater will flow down this trail alot faster than without it. Rocks are great at allowing water to flow and are a great way at manipulating water to go where you want it to.
I know that if you implement these ways of collecting rainwater your pond will be filled year-round. All it takes is one storm and its stormwater runoff to fill a pond.
What Can You Use A Pond For?
I could say the same about a house. You can do many things with a house beyond just living in it. The same goes for a pond. Ponds can serve many purposes, the main one is the harvesting of rainwater.
This rainwater can then be used to water your garden and animals. My friend loves using his pond for watering his fruit trees.
Fish Farming
You can easily put fish in the pond if it’s large enough. This can then be another food resource you can use or generate an income from. All from a pond.
Keep in mind that the more fish you put in the pond the more maintenance it will need. Primarily with keeping it clean.
Relaxing
A great benefit to having a pond is the relaxing benefit. It creates and promotes relaxation more than dirt does in my opinion. There is something peaceful about water. You can sit by your pond and enjoy the sounds of nature. It promotes nature and can become a beautiful spot on your property if done well.
You can plant and add other elements to your pond to bring it to life.
Keeping Ponds Clean
The problem I see with many people’s ponds is they become mirky and unclean. So don’t be most people! You can put in catfish and use a pond aerator to keep your pond’s water clean. Otherwise, what’s the point of having a pond if you can’t really use it to its fullest potential? You could also add, bog plants (Iris is my favorite of the type), Water Lilies.
These different ways will help to keep your pond water usable.
Trees Falling Into My Pond
If your pond is surrounded by trees the best thing if one falls into your pond, you need to remove it immediately. Trees that have fallen into a pond for whatever reason will dirty the pond and not help the pond but harm it.
My Favorite Way To Keep A Pond Clean?
Using a pond aerator is by far my favorite. I DIY my aerator with solar panels. The aerator cost me around $1700 and the solar panels were around $250 at 200watts. I then got some batteries from a friend. It was costly but if I look at it as an investment it was worth every penny. I have catfish and other plants to help keep it clean as well. It is a DIY pond for sure. I asked a friend to help me with my DIY pond as I needed help making sure everything was safe.
The main fish I put in my pond is tilapia as it’s an easy fish to farm.
Could my setup be cheaper than two grand? Yes, it most definitely can! It all depends on the size of your pond and how many fish you are putting in it.
Do You Have To Have An Aerator?
No, not at all! You can implement the other ways mentioned above for keeping your pond clean. If you want an option to ensure your pond stays clean without anything else then go with an aerator. I also need an aerator because I stock a lot of fish, keep that in mind.
Having Pond Problems?
If you find yourself having a mirky or “unclean” pond you should look into getting an aerator or doing the other natural things you can do which we mentioned. If the natural way doesn’t work, then an aerator would be my best suggestion.
I would follow that up by removing any debris or trees that could be in the pond. Then add catfish and your pond will most likely improve.
