Just dug a lake to store water and hit a spring - is this good or bad?

We dug a lake with a digger where one of our fields dips and where rainwater would naturally go, (this area is uphill from our food forest, veg gardens and well).

The idea was to capture rainwater and either hold it or at least slow it down if the lake would not hold the water, so that we end up with more water in the ground, but at the bottom of the lake we have a spring coming out of a crack in the rock and over the past 2 weeks the lake has filled up. This is baffling as we have had no rain for over three months and everywhere is so dry, other other lake has dried up and so has our well (hence the emergency measures to dig the lake).

as its so hot here we lose a lot of water to evaporation, I was wondering id anyone has an opinion if my lake now taking water out of the landscape for evaporation or bringing it up from lower down to our subsoils potentially feed our trees and well downhill from the lake?

thanks

Hi Laurence,

If there hasn't been any ran for that long, you probably have hit a spring.  Most of the ones I've seen are from deep aquifers and are definitely a benefit.  I doubt very much if it's robbing the top soil or sub-soil of any moisture by having it.

Good luck with your project!

In the U.S. we have States that are further divided into counties. In many counties we have Agricultural Agents. Their job is to advise farmers on all/most things agricultural. They have a great deal more expertise than I do on things like you ask. I'm in Ohio, USA. For me here, uncovering a spring would be a very good thing. We commonly have a great deal of water, and never any shortages. But I have no idea what the consequences of such an event might be for someone thousands of miles away in a completely different climate than here. My advice is to ask locally what local farmers or your own Agri. agents who have real world experience in your location, ...instead of very remote, to you, folks with opinions and experiences different from yours. You may find to your (hopefully happy) discovery is a great thing. You might also find that what has happened could drastically change your farms ecology long term. Ask a local expert.