At 9am this morning we will begin filling the irrigation pond in front of the farm house. We have spent the past week getting everything ready. Fernando dumped piles of rock which will be used by fish to spawn.
He then spread chips of bentonnite all over the floor and sides which will help seal the pond. It took 4,800 lbs to get the coverage we needed.
The purpose of the pond is to buffer the incoming irrigation water from the canal. We do not always need 900 gallons a minute 24 hours a day. So we can let it fill the pond to use at another time. We hope this will save water and give us more flexibility.
If it seals correctly we hope to have it filled by the middle of next week.
The crew are keen to add a few recreational fish, not fish farming as we would need a permit for that! An d no swimming or we would need to fence the pond for that. So many people watching over our shoulder!