The image on the left is showing the construction well underway. Planning this in advance of even starting the work was key, to ensure the levels of the different areas of the pond were calculated exactly.
Large scale pond planted and landscaped with granite boulders to create a natural finish.
Dartmoor Pond Services were commissioned by Dianne & Richard to design and construct a large wildlife pond on their property with dimensions of 35m x 30m and up to 2m depth.
The pond to be viewed from the house.
As the site is sloping, a large amount of spoil needed removing to reach the planned water level before actually excavating the pond itself. In total, some 1500 cubic metre of material was removed.
A geosynthetic clay liner was installed to seal the pond and dressed over with spoil landscaped to form planting areas of various depths. As the liner is covered there is nothing visible, producing a natural finish to the pond.
The remaining bulk of the excavated spoil was landscaped elsewhere on the property.
30 tonne of local granite boulders were supplied and installed in the raised bank at the higher end of the pond, again to produce a natural effect. Some boulders were placed in the water to pride interest and access for wildlife.
A 6 metre jetty was constructed from native hardwood and installed to project into the pond.
The pond was stocked with a variety of water plants and is now home to a growing range of wildlife which will increase as the pond matures.
With the excavating of the spoil all finished, we start to put the liner into place. For our larger, more natural looking ponds, we often recommend using a geosynthetic clay liner as it's an absolutely fantastic product to work with Once installed, it's covered over with spoil, allowing for plants to grow more naturally, without the need for planting baskets, that are typically used in smaller ponds.
With the construction complete, the filling process begins. A pond of this scale can expect to take anywhere up to about 6 months to reach optimum levels.
This has been a fantastic project for Dartmoor Pond Services. The challenge of the area we had to work with and the sheer scale of pond to be constructed has definitely taken us to new levels in terms of what we can achieve in the future. Thanks again to Dianne and Richard for allowing us to undertake such an interesting project!
Update! Having completed this project back in 2017, the pond is thriving and the surrounding area looks fantastic! We're very proud of this, as we are with all of our projects. Here's a shot taken from above to truly appreciate the scale of this one
