In an effort to continue to provide the best possible venue to our clients, we’re excited to announce that we have completed the renovation of Charlie’s Pond.  This was a much bigger project than originally anticipated, but we’re very pleased with the end result.  Here is a summary of our journey to restore one of our most popular features at Sunset Ranch:

Once the pond was drained of water, we discovered it was full of almost 30 years of sediment.  What did this mean?  Sludge about five feet deep!  Consequently, we had to bring in industrial grade pumps to remove it all.  No easy task.  While this, along with other discoveries and unfortunate circumstances, presented us with what at the time seemed like insurmountable challenges; we eventually accomplished our objective of succesfully cleaning out the pond.

After the pond was emptied and the old liner removed, pond preparation included shaping of the pond contours and adding filler to the deeper section of the pond.  These efforts were made to create a more efficient and manageable pond.  The pond was then ready for the new and improved liner.  After careful installation, the liner seams were sealed and the perimeter of the pond was secured with cement and hand selected rock.  We brought in truck loads of rock to make certain that not only the entire pond was adequately sealed, but to insure an aesthetically pleasing design.

The pictures below show the important stages of the Phase I renovation at Charlie’s Pond:

In summary, upon completion of the renovation of Charlie’s Pond, we successfully created a beautiful new feature at Sunset Ranch.  At the same time, we have created a site with which to conduct a small amount of fish farming.  We’re very excited about this.  Charlie’s Pond now holds approximately forty golden tilapia!  Perhaps someday, with the proper monitoring and certification, we will include a few select Sunset Ranch tilapia in our event menus.

The pictures below show some pictures of the Phase II renovation of Charlie’s Pond: