Compliance & The Crater!

Part of the Kaipara Council requirements for the final code of compliance sign off is to have 45,000 litres of water reserve for fire fighting purposes.

This was something that was introduced last year by the Kaipara Council. Previously it was just 10,000 litres, so you could have got away with 2 water tanks. But the increased water reserve would require us to have 3 water tanks... two of which I wouldn't be allowed to use, so they would just be sitting there, which would be an eye sore.  Part of the new requirements does allow for an alternative water source, swimming pools and ponds. So we decided to go with a pond, due to the cost mainly, and it will look cool once it is all planted out.

So I brought a heavy duty pond liner on trade me, and arranged for the guy who did the driveway to come in to dig a rather large hole for us. I had marked out where the pond was to go, and pointed out to the location, and I thought all was made very well clear, but the digger guy got it wrong. Instead of the pond being about 30m away from the house, it is now 6m away from the house! The hole... crater is a bit bigger than what we were expecting.

I had planned for 6m x 6m x 1.5m deep, but we are more like 10m x 10m x 2m deep. I did expect it to be a little larger with the slopping sides... but when you actually see the crater for the first time it was a bit of a shock.

 

Initially we were very disappointed with the location... but it has come to grow on us a little. It would be a big job to fill it in, and start again.  If we landscape/plant it out really well, it could become a very nice feature from the deck. We will put in water lilies and a water feature of some sort. It could become really nice once done. I'm trying to stay positive... it is a bloody big hole!

To fill the pond, the excess water from the water tank will be piped into the pond, along with the water that run's off the driveway.

 

The Crater!

I think I pulled every muscle in my body pulling the pond liner into place. I've been sore for days! Especially by left elbow and lower back! The pond liner was 16m x 16m so plenty big enough, but we will also use it as weed mat around the sides of the pond. But we will wait until the pond is nearly full of water and the liner is set in before we start planting around the sides.

 

I will post some updated photos as we progress with the pond but next weekend, we have to start putting up the fence around the septic field. Just waiting for the timber to arrive then we can get stuck into it.

UPDATE:

We've made a overflow for the pond...so the water is now being deverted away from the garden shed, and out into the paddock. I guess we will have to do something about that to... water in the paddock.