Pond construction - Digging out the pond

A Guide to Modern Koi Pond Construction Digging out your pond
You have now decided on the final design for your pond, and it is time to consider how you are going to excavate the large hole, and dispose of the soil.
	In this situation it has been possible to remove sections of the back fence, so that the JCB excavator can be driven in. In this case it was also easy to get a truck alongside to remove the soil that has been removed.
	It is sometimes possible to get a small excavator down the side of the house, and into the back garden. This one was actually driven up some steps to get access. It is also possible to hire a small excavator that will pass through a normal size door.
	Unfortunately, most of us live on modern estates where it is almost impossible to get one of these machines into the back garden, and so there is only one answer and that is to start digging.
The next point to consider is the removal of all this soil that has to be dug out. With small garden ponds it was possible to use most of the soil for a rockery or waterfall, but with modern deep ponds of say 12 feet x 10ft then up to fifty tons of soil will have to be disposed of.
	In the UK we nearly always have to hire a skip for the removal of the soil. The type shown in this photo holds about nine tons. The cost of hiring these skips has doubled in the past three or four years due to the landfill charges.
	This photo shows another type of skip which is very popular with our members especially when they are doing most of the work themselves. The doors at the rear of the skip can be opened and the wheel barrow wheeled straight in. These are only slightly more expensive to hire than the type shown above.
	Here we can see a truck with a grab being used to remove the soil. It has been found in the UK that this is often the cheapest way. The truck is loaded very quickly and you do not get involved with the loading, but you have to be able to put all the soil in a position where it can be accessed by the grab.
For the next step move on to Getting the levels correct.

N.Design Studio