Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
(OP)
I am working on a project in an area with a topsoil layer resting on top of sand and gravel. The proposed pond is likely to need a liner to maintain a constant water level during dry seasons. Due to the lack of clay soils, the idea was proposed to use topsoil as a lining material in lieu of bentonite or a mechanical liner. Does anyone have any experience doing this or reasons why this would not work?





RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
So even it the soil is compacted, eventually the loss of organic material will allow water to pass thru and drain the pond.
Unless the top soil tests as a high clay/ silt content and low organic, I’d suggest looking for a better lake liner.
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
Not true with highly organic soils, peat bogs go centuries submerged with little change, it's when they are not submerged that they decompose. I've heard of very old logs being retrieved from the bottom of the Great Lakes and are in perfect shape.
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
Anyhow, topsoil run-off is common in settling in the bottoms of glacial lakes "lining the bottom" and many an excavation right near that lake can be dug and only local ground water needs handling.
At Madison, WI where ground water supplies the city wells, the groundwater table has been lowered by well pumping in town. You can dig right near those lakes and you are in the dry, below the lake level. The mud bottom forms a seal of sorts. The wells don't appear to affect lake levels.
So, to say it won't work is refusing to recognize that at times it does work.
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
I'm working on a similar project and we are looking at using a pond liner. One item of note is what is the consequence of failure? If the leakage is more than you "calculated" what's the loss?
Consider the following: A pond that is 6 ft deep and "failure" is when water drops to 4 ft deep; a liner that is 0.7 ft thick (i.e., 8 in) with a permeability of 2x10^-6 ft/min (i.e., 1x10^-6 cm/sec) and a water table that is below the liner. Just how long will it take for the pond water to drop the two feet?
Using Q=kIA and taking the intermediate head as 5 ft (using a 1sf area) you get
Q=2x10^-6(5/0.7)1=1.43x10^-5ft^3/min
If you then complete the math, that relates to 97 days. So it would take 3 months for this drop to occur (less evaporation).
How much water are you directing to this pond? How many rain free days are you considernig?
As it stands, we are commenting on whether topsoil can be used in a liner - well sure, I guess. First it would help though to know what the liner requirements need to be. . . .
f-d
¡papá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?
RE: Topsoil as a Lake Liner?