A Natural Waterscapes tools
Free tools built on USDA data — use them on your own pond today.
Draw your pond on a satellite map and get a soil-based diagnosis from USDA data: saturated hydraulic conductivity, hydrologic group, suitability, seepage/embankment risk, bathymetry, full horizon profile, and sealant recommendations with quantities. Includes expert review.
Watershed and water-balance modeling: derives watershed area, curve number, time of concentration, and land cover automatically, and stacks rainfall, evaporation, runoff, and seepage into a monthly water balance.
B Soil & climate data tools
Free, public. Soil map units, hydrologic group, depth to water table and restrictive layer, drainage class, and pond suitability.
Near-real-time daily pan evaporation reports from stations across the southern/midwestern U.S.
C Engineering standards
The core standard behind embankment, cutoff trench, top width (Table 1), side slopes, freeboard, and settlement allowance cited in the talk.
Compacted soil and soil-amendment sealing.
Liner-based sealing for soils beyond economic compaction/bentonite treatment. Standard PDF ↗
D Evaporation references
Farnsworth, Thompson & Peck, 1982 — maps of Class A pan, free-water-surface, and annual evaporation, plus pan-to-FWS coefficients.
Farnsworth & Thompson, 1982 — station-by-station pan evaporation averages.
E Pond sealing products
The two sealants we covered for repairing a leaking pond — match the product to your soil and whether the pond can be drained.
High-swell granular sodium bentonite (Free Swell Index 30 ml, exceeding the NRCS CPS 520 standard of ≥22). Expands up to 15× when hydrated to seal the pond bottom and sides; best worked into a drained pond. Available in 25 lb / 45 lb bags and 2,000 / 3,000 lb bulk sacks.
Two-part anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) polymer that sinks, swells, and bonds with soil particles to seal leaks — even underwater, without draining the pond. The choice for retrofitting existing ponds, and for sandy soils where bentonite alone can't develop enough contact pressure.
F Sealing & repair guides
Free how-to articles on choosing and applying a sealant — the bentonite and SoilFloc background behind the talk.
Overview of why ponds leak and the full range of treatment options — bentonite clay, SoilFloc polymer, synthetic liners, and patching — and how to match the fix to your soil and leak type.
Application rates by soil type (2–6 lb/ft²), the mixed vs. blanket methods, how high-swell sodium bentonite works, and a field test for dialing in the right rate for your soil.
Side-by-side comparison of the two sealants: when to drain and compact bentonite versus applying SoilFloc through standing water, and which suits your soil and budget.