While RPE liners are reliable enough to be used for landfills and containment projects, we focus on installing them into large ponds that will not naturally hold water because of the Florida soil on that property. When dealing with a new bass pond, our team can dig the hole, install a geosynthetic liner, and even add aeration devices and live fish to your new pond. Read on to understand our process for using a RPE liner to start a new farm pond that will provide enjoyment and beauty for your family for years to come.
While centered in Tampa, we travel outside the area to more remote areas of Florida for pond digging projects. Counties such as Hernando, Pasco, Sumter, Lake, Polk, and Manatee tend to have more generous space than Hillsborough and Pinellas and are more ripe for designing a pond that can provide all kinds of enjoyment for your family.
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Questions to Consider Before Lining a Pond
- There are many elements to consider when digging a new pond. Is your intended location for the pond at a low point or high point on your land? With the serious rains we get in Florida, having your pond in a low area can lead to flooding and erosion. If all the water runs toward your pond when it rains, it will be very easy for it to become overfilled. Where will the water go? If you're considering using a low point, you may want to plan on some kind of overflow system that diverts the water away from pond.
- If you have a piece of land and are considering adding a fish pond, think about what size body of water you'd like. Consider how much dirt needs to come out to accomplish that and if you'll have a place on the property to distribute the dirt. We've heard of people using the dirt to build on, piled high and deep to create a backstop for shooting, or given away to a supplier that has the ability to sell the dirt. These are all good scenarios. If you can't use the dirt on the land you will have the added expense of having it hauled away and disposed of. Depending on the size of the pond you're digging, this can be a substantial portion of the budget for the pond.
- Is the area/land level around the pond? Whenever possible, you want to have the sides of your pond be on an equal plane so that it holds water evenly. If one side is multiple feet lower than the other, as the pond fills up, the water will all exit in that one area and it may gravitate in a direction you'd rather not see it go. When we're designing and digging a pond basin, we'll use a transit level to check the corners and all sides to make sure we build up dirt in areas that are lower than others.
- How do you plan to fill your pond? Some extra large bodies of water can take weeks to fill with a regular garden hose. If you have access to well water and a larger hose like a 1" or 2" diameter, you'll stand a much better chance of getting your fishing pond filled by your water source. Depending on the season, letting rain water fill a pond is also a great option. Are you near the water table? In this instance, your pond may not need a liner or be able to accept a liner if water is constantly filling from beneath the surface.
Added Protection by Burying Your Liner
All of the products we use and install come with a manufacturers warranty. They are usually listed as lasting a certain number of years when exposed (meaning to direct sunlight) and a far greater number of years when buried. While the cost to install and bury a liner is more expensive than leaving it exposed, it greatly lengthens the lifespan of your liner. Replacing a liner can cost nearly the same amount as installing a fresh one which is why we prefer to add a layer of dirt to a new liner when building a pond. 6"-12" of dirt is usually sufficient to cover the liner and help protect it from cracking due to prolonged sun exposure.
Caution and expertise is needed when burying large liners because the weight of heavy machinery can damage the liner making it unusable. Spreading dirt by hand may not be a realistic option when dealing with large ponds so we complete this work with equipment. Specifically, this can be executed by building a thick dirt road in the pond that will cover the liner and allow access to vehicles. From here, we can transport fill dirt into the pond and begin to cover larger sections of the liner using our equipment. As you can imagine, this process can be time consuming and is much easier to pull off during the dryer months in Florida.
Installation of Fish Pond Liners
Because of the weight of a RPE pond liner, the installation may require five or even ten people to help unroll the material and drag it into place. We can build a functional pond on your land with a totally turnkey process. We can supply the machinery and expertise to excavate a new pond, take measurements then procure the RPE material or any other liner membrane you may want, as well as supply and coordinate the labor to install and bury your pond liner. If you own land in Central Florida or you're looking at acquiring new land and would like a new body of water, we can visit the site and help you understand the options available based on space, location, conditions, and surrounding elements. There is a lot of planning involved in a project of this magnitude. Our understanding of pond construction can help save you headaches of trying to pull off such a large project by yourself.
