A WORD ON POND EXCAVATION

     Pond digging! That seems to be what most call this activity. I call it pond excavation, and as a professional pond excavator that seems to sound so much better to me.

     At some point every pond builder has heard, and will hear again, the suggestion from a potential customer, usually while in the negotiating process; “I friend of mine has a backhoe and they will dig the hole, can you do all the rest after them to cut costs a bit?”

     This approach can seem reasonable, but to a pond builder it is a challenge to really explain why it is in every way better to have a pond professional do what they do from beginning to end. Pond building should not be a shared project. When I hear this suggestion I already know that if someone else digs the hole, they are doing exactly that….diggin’ a hole. This in turn means when my phase of the project comes up I will have to do a whole lot of fixing problems with levels and depths, fixing problems with the shape, fixing problems with structural integrity, sometimes even re-filling areas; which in turn actually will drive up the costs of any project. Anybody can dig a hole, anybody with a backhoe can dig a hole quick and cheap, but not anybody can properly excavate a pond or water garden. So, why is this?

     From the customer point of view it just makes plain economic sense on the surface of it, but dig a bit deeper, and the flaws of this thinking start to get uncovered. From the pond contractors point of view it can be looked at this way: probably the most important part of any pond installation project is the excavation. I prefer the term excavation to digging because digging conjures up an image of hapless, rushed, unsophisticated, removal of the material called dirt. Excavation however; entails something much more sophisticated. Excavation requires thought, planning, and strategy. Excavation allows for intelligent use of the material being removed. When excavating one will encounter vastly different layers of material which can be utilized later in the project, and not just removed wholesale. Most importantly the work of excavating is the beginning process of creating a unique, artistic, and beautiful water feature. Pond excavation is the time that depths, shapes, shelves, tunnels, caves, and planting areas are created. Excavation is when the final depth of the pond needs to be addressed and creating utility depressions for future cleanout pits, and planting pockets need to be made.

     A good experienced pond builder wants their ponds to look good inside and outside; something the customer will appreciate more and more as they go and see others’ “dug out” ponds, as compared to their professionally excavated pond. The inside of a pond installation needs to look good, it needs to have style! The excavation process allow the pond contractor to be familiar with the lay of the land and make adjustments around the pond to deal with issues such as drainage, and to help take advantage of landscape subtleties to their best advantage when the final product is complete. During excavation filter systems are planned for and excavated for, streams and waterfalls and how they can flow and connect with the most natural results are prepared. The excavation process is so much more than just digging the hole; the pond excavation is the heart of the project and gives any good pond builder the opportunity to make the most beautiful water feature possible, rather than trying to make something out of someone else’s hole in the ground.

     In the old days of pond building which was almost exclusively DIY, the approach was: dig a hole, slap in a liner, fill with water, weigh down edge with rock, add plants. But, oh, how those days are gone! You now have access to talented, experienced, creative pond builders who will most likely surpass your expectations when building your water feature. Pond specialists who are efficient, well-organized, and passionate about what they do, and it is all they do! Take advantage of that, you as a customer have a valuable resource at hand that can greatly enhance not only the enjoyment of the pond structure, but your overall experience in pond keeping. Ponder that!!

     The LOVE YOUR POND blog is written by Mike Gannon of Full Service Aquatics. Mike is a professional pond builder and expert in the broad topics of fishkeeping and water gardening. Mike also produces THE POND HUNTER video series which can be viewed on Youtube. “In The Pursuit Of All Things Aquatic” the Pond Hunter videos provide how-to pond construction videos, pondumentaries, and videos of related interest. Mike resides in Summit, New Jersey with his wife and 2 daughters. To visit his website go to www.loveyourpond.com and visit The Pond Hunter at www.youtube.com/thepondhunter.