What size pond should I build
First you have to ask what you want out of your pond.
*Fishing
*Swimming
*Nature
*Irrigation
*Landscape feature
POND SIZE FOR FISHING
Fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in michigan. If you have plans of stocking your pond with fish and the fish surviving a Michigan winter your pond should be at least 12' to 15' deep. The deeper the better. To get this depth your pond will need to me a minimal of 1/4 acre, or approx 100' x 100'. We have the resources to dig your pond up to 40' deep if desired. There are a lot more variables such as the water source for your pond and the soil type of your pond. If your property can fit a larger pond and it is in your budget the bigger the better for fish. The bigger you dig the pond the deeper you can go, you can also have a larger deep area.
POND SIZE FOR SWIMMING
When building a pond for swimming use , you can dig a pond almost any size. The main feature of the pond would be to keep it deep enough for equaitic weeds to not over populate the pond. Invasive weeds generally will not grow in water deeper then 4' in most Michigan ponds. However, some aquatic plants growing in and around a pond provide many benefits. They help maintain good water quality by reducing erosion and absorbing nutrients. Plants provide cover for fish and a substrate for the colonization of minute organisms used by small fishes. Wildlife will use the shoreline vegetation for concealment and as areas to search for food You also want the pond to have enough depth for the water to stay clean. I recomend a swimming pond to be no smaller then 40' x 40' and a minimal depth of 8'.
POND SIZE FOR ASTETICS OR WILDLIFE
A properly excavated wild life pond requires little maintenance and again can be any size. If you want to attract cranes, turtles, ducks, deer, frogs, mink, and any other of Michigan's beautiful creatures you only need water. You can dig a pond any where from 15' x 15' or a acre 207' x 207' and they will come. Depth could also range from as shallow as 6'' to 15' deep to keep the fish around.
POND SIZE FOR IRRIGATION
A pond built for irrigations size can be determined by many factors. The main component is the amount of water you will need for irrigation, which I will go into details about calculating in another blog.
HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR POND
Some folks in Michigan dream of a huge 1 acre pond, but soon come to reality that it just will not fit into there yard. You have factors such as property line set backs, water resources, lot size, set back from well, set back from septic. You also have either find a spot for your dirt from the pond or haul it all off site which can be really expensive. If you are digging a 100'x100' pond, you will need a place close to pond that is a minimal 50'x100' to store spoils.
POND BUDGET
The biggest deciding factor in pond size is how much money do you have to dig this pond. Our average pond cost is $7,500. Most pond customers I have worked for all want a huge 1 acre + pond. A 1 acre pond is perfect for swimming, fish, wildlife, and most any thing else you may want out of your pond. A pond that size is just mostly out of the average persons budget.
In conclusion, the best way to determine what size your pond should be is to give us a call and we will come out and look at site and determine which size fits your needs best.