Puddle is a watertight (low
hydraulic conductivityHydraulic conductivity, symbolically represented as , is a property of vascular plants, soil or rock, that describes the ease with which water can move through pore spaces or fractures. It depends on the intrinsic permeability of the material and on the degree of saturation...
) material based on
clayClay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried and/or fired...
used in building and maintaining
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
s or reservoirs.
Puddling is the process of lining the channel with puddle.
Clay or heavy loam is chopped with a spade and mixed into a plastic state with water and sometimes coarse sand or grit to discourage excavation by
moleMoles are the majority of the members of the mammal family Talpidae in the order Soricomorpha. Although moles burrow, some species are semi-aquatic. Moles have cylindrical bodies covered in fur, with small or covered eyes; the ears are generally not visible. They eat small invertebrates living...
s or
water voleThe European Water Vole is a semi-aquatic mammal that resembles a rat. In fact, the water vole is often informally called the water rat. Some authorities consider the Southwestern Water Vole in the same species, but it is now generally considered a distinct species...
s. The puddle is laid about 25 cm thick at the sides and nearly a metre thick at the bottom of a canal, built up in layers.
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Puddle is a watertight (low
hydraulic conductivityHydraulic conductivity, symbolically represented as , is a property of vascular plants, soil or rock, that describes the ease with which water can move through pore spaces or fractures. It depends on the intrinsic permeability of the material and on the degree of saturation...
) material based on
clayClay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried and/or fired...
used in building and maintaining
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
s or reservoirs.
Puddling is the process of lining the channel with puddle.
Clay or heavy loam is chopped with a spade and mixed into a plastic state with water and sometimes coarse sand or grit to discourage excavation by
moleMoles are the majority of the members of the mammal family Talpidae in the order Soricomorpha. Although moles burrow, some species are semi-aquatic. Moles have cylindrical bodies covered in fur, with small or covered eyes; the ears are generally not visible. They eat small invertebrates living...
s or
water voleThe European Water Vole is a semi-aquatic mammal that resembles a rat. In fact, the water vole is often informally called the water rat. Some authorities consider the Southwestern Water Vole in the same species, but it is now generally considered a distinct species...
s. The puddle is laid about 25 cm thick at the sides and nearly a metre thick at the bottom of a canal, built up in layers. Puddle has to be kept wet in order to remain waterproof so it is important for canals to be kept filled with water.
The clay is laid down with a tool called a
punner, or
pun, a large rectangular block on a handle about long, or trodden down, or compacted by some other means (e.g. by an
excavatorAn excavator is a heavy equipment consisting of an articulated arm , bucket and cab mounted on a pivot atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels...
using the convex outside of its scoop, or, historically, by driving cattle across the area).