^ I could only imagine what it would take to actually keep a good size one full.. You will at least keep it from getting thirsty and drying up imo then it will fill faster with rain.... that is if you go a bit smaller than needed

Filling a pond and keeping one full or two different things. A 5-10 gpm well with keep up with evaporation on a 1 acre pond if you are running it 24 hrs. a day.

To fill a 1 acre pond you would need a 50-100 gpm well running for 2-4 weeks straight.

Of course it depends on the size of the pond - but running a pump non stop? the electricity bill will make you stand up and take notice - I did it and it was not fun - and this was twenty years ago when electricity was less expensive than now.

DITTO THIS

10gpm will yield about 14400 gallons per day which would keep up with 1/2" of evaporation/absorption per day on a 1 acre pond.



I guess that would depend on the depth of the pond.

Another factor is that, to some extent, all ponds leak.

If you just want water for the animals, build concrete basins. In Africa I saw these and they even had a small lower basin so birds could get to the water.

well's are expensive. would not drill if i did not own the land. well drilled in lee county in 2015 cost $23.00 a foot plus equipment. mine ended up at 550'. $17000.00 . but lots of water. aquifer section im in is 70' thick with my screen at the bottom. 4" well with 1.25 pressure pipe. will pump an acre ft of water a week at the cost of $30.00 in electricity. hope this helps.

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I have a related question.

During new pond construction, is a pond liner a viable option to prevent leakage? Do they make them large enough for 2-3 acre ponds? If so, what is the approx. added cost and who supplies them?

I am looking at digging a new pond in clay loam on our place in McCulloch County, TX.

Many thanks!

It's been 7 years but I paid $20 a foot cased, but the guys were dishonest. They drilled a test hole and told me the well was great and would give me 10 gallon a minute. I trusted them and had the well drilled and cased. After weeks of testing 1/3 gallon a minute was the maximum the well could do, and that was not enough for my half acre stock tank.

My recommendation is that if you have a well drilled, have your own expert there to evaluate the test drill. Well drillers do not make much on test holes, so they want to drill and case, whether or not it is a good well. It is in their best interest to go all they way, so you can't really trust their opinion on the well. The next well I had drilled, I had my own expert and that new driller tried to fool me like the first one, but my expert told him what was what, and then he backed off and admitted the well was not worth drilling.

they make them for any size you want - just have to pony up the money for them - they are not cheap - also cannot have livestock near - they will puncuture

Standard 40 mil poly liners run about .45 per sq ft installed, last time I bought one. Could be higher or lower now. They make a liner that looks similar to a trampoline mat but holds water that will stand up to livestock but its substantially higher. Can't remember what the cost was on that one.

I wish my neighbor had thought about that. He left his pump running for weeks at a time right at the first of the drought a few years ago. We are in Concho County. My well went dry. Eventually, his well went dry, too. Then, we had a 10" rain that cracked the base or the dam for his pond and he lost all the water. I still don't have water 7 years later. So, yes, please consider your neighbors when you decide to empty the aquifer.

Part of the evaporation rate is due to wind. Wind makes waves which wash up onto relatively dry soil and are absorbed so really the 1" on 4 four acres is a combination of evaporation and absorption.
Waves also cause water to spray or splash and those water vapors are carry away in the wind.
Summertime in Texas is hard on any open water source even if it isn't being pumped out.

If the aquifer you pump out of has not gotten any water in now you have bigger problems than what you think your neighbor did.

Probably be cheaper and more efficient to dam up a good drainage and not worry about pumps and electricity.

Had a well drilled in 2011. 80 ft deep cost of 2900 for drilling and casing or 36.00 a ft. My wife and I installed the pump and pressure tank for an additional 1800.00 Well was 200 ft from cabin so we had extra cost for wire and piping to connect and trencher.