the ongoing POND PROJECT.

We began this pond in 2002. We had a housefire (previously had a small victorian farmhouse we lost to a lightening strike, now we have a double wide set back 40' from where the original house used to be) in 2002 and when we put in the double wide and the new drainfield (which had to be raised 4' above the surrounding area), we had backfill brought in around the house and the drainfield from a low area of our field. Thus making a very shallow pond, it filled with the snow melt and rain and went dry in the heat of summer.
2 years ago our son had a backhoe and he dug one very deep hole in the pond (trying to see how deep the grey clay was)..and that hole held water really well all summer long. Last year our neighbors had a backhoe and let Joel borrow it for a few hours, and he enlarged the pond by 1/3 and dug the new area a bit deeper than the rest of the pond, that area is still holding water even though most of the pond is dry right now from the severe drought we have been having. The hope is to rent a backhoe again soon, and dig the shallow areas of the pond deep enough to where they will hold water all summer long, possibly enlarge the pond, and also to someday put in a freshwater inlet to keep the pond level up and hopefully put in some fish.

This is the same view, after a horrible drought, the pond
mostly has gone dry except the far end where it is
deeper, after this shot he drove the tractor in there and
scraped out several of the cattails and got it ready
for the backhoe rental.

This is the original part of the shallow end of the pond that
was dug in 2002, it has gone completely dry in our drought.
Joel (my son) took the tractor in and brushhogged down
some of the cattails to gain access. We hope to rent
a backhoe this weekend and redig the entire pond deeper
and larger..North of this pond is the woods with the new trails
that we have been putting in, on the other side of the clay bank.

This is a little woodsy area east of the pond that we hope
to develop into a nice shady spot in the future.
There are a couple of eleagenus trees, and a hemlock and
a large rustic pinie tree. South of where I am standing is
a baby weeping willow and 2 maples (one silver and one
scarlet)..the pond dig will involve this area..the field will
be repaired to the east of the pond and the pond will
be enlarged beyond the trees, eventually.

this is the North bank of the pond after Joel enlarged it
in 2009, the pond is about 175 x 50 to 75 feet right now.
This photo was taken when it was full of water before the drought
where it went mostly dry, two deeper areas held water.