2.5 Acre Pond Gone!!! Ideas, tale, and restoral thread

[Stressless]

Multiple angles if attack on-going... first serious day - first day with trackhoe.

Pumped Sat and Sat nite, restarted this AM

We hope to make it to the area where there is high dry overburden today. Once there he's gonna dig channels to drain the potholes to where the pump is... about 900'-1000' to go.

Made the initial goal, access to the middle berm to drain all the potholes into one.

ID'd the far end for the dam at that end. About 300' cut in..

 

[Jackalope]

We should be pumping water out of the 1/4 acre left, starting today! - the excavator noticed a couple LARGE catfish in that survived the 1/4A last winter so that'll be interesting.

Dropping a couple $5,000 bills to getrdone so any thoughts or advice along the way is GREATLY appreciated as this goes over the next 2-3 weeks.

Best of luck to you man. This is super interesting.

 

[Stressless]

@jack- thx man... did my due diligence -but- luck has roll at this table so I'll take all the positive vibes I can get.

Got the dozer in, only slightly stuck once this AM, dig'em deep, pile'em high! (AF Red Horse motto) New dam at the North end of the pond..

Bentonite pumper on line waiting to schedule

About halfway in the pond, ~1100' long avg 70' wide.

Both banks, one spoil one highwall made it inaccessible except for a nasty swampy launch at one end.

Such a treat already to be able to roll in 300+' on a 10' path!

Making the road go across the dam at the North end for access to the overflow and other maintenance.


Few hours later N Dam taking shape...

Pic that'll reoccur... on the North dam, looking at making a shelf for bedding about 6-8' wide along parts of this... asking some forums what's the best depth for the shelf for bluegill and bass beds...

 

[Wildlife]

That's quite the project! Keep on sharing! Enjoying seeing good work being done!

Just so you know, I was apart of the team back in the day - "AF Red Horse"

 

[Stressless]

Weather has been perfect for this to get started, fingers crossed for some more...

North end is roughed in.

Road down to the first bumpout.. the first two bumpouts should be done by end of tomorrow. Had Steve Fender stop in and give me some good advice.

 

[Stressless]

Paths coming together... should be roughed in early next week

Got 100 50# bags of bentonite and pumper lined up for Wed... lots of moving parts now.

 

[Stressless]

Got a bunch done on the North end and worked the South Road some as well. They'll meet in thr middle at a 17" red oak thats just above the road elevation.

A fast easy way to add structure and cover into your pond..

Mrs and at the North Damroad is roughed in around the inside.

Had planned for 5 bumpouts, 20x 20 or so areas to turn around on quad or UTV towing a brushhog. We decided yesterday to reduce to four about 60 yards apart and make spawing bedding benches on the four that were left based on the fill available and priorities of packing the East side highwall.

Mose brought his first helper in today so we had both the hoe and dozer working all day. Much got done. Taking a knee and back Tuesday AM- fields need rain but I need it stay off thru Wed... we'll see.

Took a little cajoling bit got them to move a bunch of fill down about 120yds where we really need it, and to set the self leveling lazer where you can see most of the road. That led to marking the entire East side for
Road height
Water level - 20"
Spawning ledge start height 2' below water height
Spawning ledge end height, 8' below water height

 

[Stressless]

Project going according to the schedule and big day tomorrow with a pump truck and 5500# of bentonite clay and they add cottonseed husks, met a great guy from a oil/gas deep dive I did on-line. He came out last Fri and met the excavator and we hatched a plan - that takes place tomorrow.

Pond plan is coming together - the solid dam on the neighbors side, to relive any pressure difference seems to make this not so much a folly but an actual chance at something really great. It's all basically roughed in road is leveled/cut in except for an area that needs fill from where we'll cit fill from the new overflow. Took pics from the inside of the crescent area the pond will fill, each pic is from the general area of where the last road ended on the previous pic to give an idea of how big crescent pond is.

Just made the name for this body of water, Crescent Pond.

The entrance, this end will done on the way out.

Note the trees will stay in the pond as structure for the fishery.

There's a 40-50 y/o red oak just past the track hoe and I'm making a bumpout at the base of it. It'll be really cool in 50 years... for someone. I'll be long gone.

Got all the fill needed for a bumpout here.

Hard to see on this pic but this bumpout has two side that slope to 2' under the pond surfance and slope to 8' under the pond surface 10' wide for spawning areas.... this one is done.

North Dam. the level of this pond will regulate the small pond on the other side of the dam with a screened culvert. Both ends are in my property line.

 

[Jackalope]

Awesome man. Glad to see it coming together.

 

[Big_Holla]

Very cool!! It's coming together quick!

 

[Stressless]

Big Big day today....

Used 79 of these little rascals... brought 100, used 69 in the hole and kept 10 to put around the mouth of the seep tomorrow with 60' x 120' of 6m industrial sheeting.

I didn't take a pic of the highwall on the county road but it's about 60-70d vertial slope up about 50' and you have to use a rope to help hoist yourself up and let safely down. I did that about 9-10 times today...

we started the work at about 1200 noon, first truck shows up, I not exactly sure what to expect and Jerry pops outa the Cab, "man! just off the pluging job yesterday - got called out and worked all night at a rig, just drove up here..." great American! I'm thinking, and over the next hour the other guys show up and a couple trips up and down the slope to guide Mose the excavator into position.

Now Mose, Short for Moses builds ponds for a trade now.... very interesting. Well we're working on the project over all, pumper team was slated for around noon... We chatted at the new East overflow location. and he got to work. It's hilly.

We chatted and decided that 2 of the 3 overflows were gonna have"equalized" water on the other side so I don'e need special beaver proof spillways.. I went and collected two of the three I have from other farm projects...

got the North and South roads connected - Kinda felt like sinking the last tie into the last rail to connect them - in some small way

The dude that orchestrated the entire deal Arron Austin, Black T shirt - great guy. Pump truck shows and Jerry pops out, looks he shold be at a Dean Martin gig, then the Amish Mose shows up and the pump helper - we look around and all start cracking wise - we have +250 years standing around 5 dudes and it's not lost on us that many folks have just given up... we chew the fat and the water truck comes up .

Soon we had the config down and got pumping - clay- I didn't know what was supposed to happen and never used Bentonite before so I'm running Mose around, pumpers are doing their thing and I'm also in the pit watching the mud flow... well about now 50 bags into it... I think I better check the neighbors seep... to see if we were right or there was a big void we were pumping my money into- so up the high wall on my side, down the high wall on neighbors side to see the seep and what's going on... a flow thru had just started. Bentonite is the gray tan...

I knew were the source was and early I had taken a pick ax down and cut a couple hundred pounds into/onto the outflow seep on the far side. When I went over this time I stomped the mud down but could see the flow still outflowing into the other pond.

This contingency was thought about prior and we figured "if" se needed to staunch the outflow we'd do it when it needed it not take time away from the project before there was a "target ID'd"

Mose got over there and up and over spoil pile, across a muck tough and put 10 yards on the seep... in about 30m. We let the first 50 bags swell and the water pump truck went back for another load while Mose gotrdone.

Pumped a bunch more bags into the hole and it came up to and filled up... putting that plastic and 500# more bentontie on the opening in the AM and 4' of clay fill over the entire mess....

Once we got that all done I came up and a nice tstorm rolled in after everyone had left -

n

 

[Stressless]

The hole is as plugged as it's gonna get.

Each bag is 50# of bentonite clay.

Yesterday 69 bags of bentonite mud flowed into the crevasse, reserved 10 bags to use this AM to seal the deal. For a total of 79 bags or 3950#'s clay.

So this AM about 0700 Four bags opened and put directly in the end of the hole, then smooshed a couple yards of clay over the hole and area right around the cravasse. We cut sticks and pounded them into the wall over the now patched hole and proceeded to cover the entire area with 6 mil plastic, cutting holes with the machette and hanging the plastic sheeting. Then covered the plastic with 3-4 yards of pond clay and all over the face of the hole. Couple yards of clay smashed on top of the plastic. The plastic was 60'x120' we went with multiple folds keeping it tidy.
Three bags tossed on the wall and areas around the edge of the plastic liner and over the clay. LOTS of plastic liners thicknesses over that and three bags around and behind the plastic after 10 yards or so of clay on the center of the plastic, directly over the hole.

Mooch getting a ride with the pump and gear across the moat..

Mooch rolled from working with the 180th Fighter Wing, a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard, stationed at Toledo Air National Guard Base, Ohio. He does Datalink, digital death we like to call it. Anyway, he was close and came in last night to pitch in to the chores and work here at the farm for Aug chores. Made the clay packing go real nice with an extra set of hands.

Then about 4' of material over the 'hole' mess to seal it in.

Once that was done the pond needed an outlet so the overflow was started - this was one area that Mose miscalculated as it was a bit deeper than he thought and longer - they brought the pipe and everyone got busy... The lake level is set now//

changing the course of the water and flowing it the East instead of seeping out to the West...

Just got deeper and was about 14' of the hoe's 16' reach. they got about 80% of in before piling out at about 1900 tonight...

The full pond is taking good shape, hole plugged and covered, South end started and overflow about 80% in.

Long hot summer day....

Couple dips in Fishbowl pond to cool off from hanging stands and cutting access trails, helping carry the overflow pipes and digging around in the pond bottom clay and packing 500# of bentonite clay, checking the last TSI opening cut in July and other chores.... Very happy with the current state of the project. I think we're 2-3 days from done on my side if they don't hit problems on the last 20% of the overflow.

 

[Stressless]

Should be done by noon tomorrow, making the connection between Cresent pond trail and Spoil trail...

.... and adding structure for the fish...

 

[giles]

What kind of permit is needed for a water collection of this size?

Any danger for neighboring houses or property if the dam fails? Or any overflow

I know I'd be pissed if my neighbor changed the water pattern on my land and dried my creek up. Or flooded me.

 

[Stressless]

What kind of permit is needed for a water collection of this size?

Any danger for neighboring houses or property if the dam fails? Or any overflow

I know I'd be pissed if my neighbor changed the water pattern on my land and dried my creek up. Or flooded me.

@giles

Not sure if you're serious or not, check the initial post. The pic where the pond was full? Its not new, not going higher, It's going back to the level it was originally. The surface acre size will be split overall by 1/4 acre to 2.25 surface acre, North berm then 1/4 acre, from a single 2.5 surface acre by adding the North dam, note on that, there will be water at the same level on both sides of that end, there's prolly a better word for that earth but its just to keep the fish on either side.

All I'm doing is re-contouring the original shoreline and installing an overflow to regulate the level at the level it was prior. LoL - I'll take a pic, if actually fills up - that's still the $25,000 question.... I'll take a pic this winter, I guarantee there won't be a tree below the waterline, because we're putting it back where it was.

The newly installed overflow flows into my land from the West to East enters an existing fall line that flows into the pond on my land. That flows into a dainage with even the nearest Ag field, let alone structures... ok looked it up... nearest structure of any sort per Google Earth along the drainage is 4.13 miles downstream, in that creeks course, nearest Ag field it goes thru is literally 2.85 miles from my East border.

Dams... on the West I have a 135' long 65' highwall, on the East side is th 250' spoil bank. The lowest level on any side is the gap in the on the East side spoil bank where we just buried the overflow, down 16' using 14 14' sections that's 195' of dam an average of 12' above the overflow. Both ends of the area are part of the U they cut when they striped it in the 50's and have over 75' of elevation over the overflow.

Secondly it was a pond on the neighbors property, with no overflow, that finally cut through an old logging road and drained his pond and mine.

Tomorror or Monday, we've got about two hours left finishing my side, we're moving the whole operation to my neighbors to repair his ponds dam, make it better than it was and installing a beaver proof overflow - so we don't have the same thing happen.

In this life I've leaned you can make a mistake, but never the same mistake.

I hope this helped give a perspective of the background, experience and thoughtful guidance we've giving/given this project.

Best regards.

Folks are welcome to PM me, I've leaned a bunch from the contractors, county and state folks involved and will share freely what I've learned.

 

[giles]

Gotcha! Now I see the big picture.

The way you worded changing the overflow direction is what got my mind spinning.

 

[Stressless]

...and done, back dragged the slope entering the pond.

Just moved all the equipment to the neighbors.

Fingers crossed and now setting the pond level on his side.

2,000# of pelletized lime 200# of grass seed and 10 bales of straw to help hold thr first two on the heavy sloped areas.

 

[Clay Showalter]

Heck of a project, looks like you did your homework and did it correctly, hope it works for you.

 

[Stressless]

Me and Pepe ( my name for my quad) got busy Sat afternoon. A ton of lime, 10 bales and 200# of grass seed.

Happiness was a set of empty pallets! With the heat and humidity I was a filthy critter at the end of it....

All the all the planning and effort for this project is complete. It went from an inaccessible, too steep to walk on spoil bank to:

taken from BumpOut 1

Taken from BumpOut 2

Taken from BumpOut 3

Taken from BumpOut 4

Thanks for following along - nothing else will happen until it fills up - or not. I'll post up what's going on over the next year or so that it should take to fill Cresent Pond back up. Changed the name from long pond. Regardless, I have access to about 1/5 of the farm that was previously inaccessible except by arduous barely passable slopes.

Ibid: Neighbors dam repair was completed yesterday, so all planned actions on the objective are completed.

 

[Stressless]

From Aug to Nov we've been in a drought for the local area - about 6" below normal, setup PondCam today to observe what's happin down there. I'd say we have 3-4' filled of the 10-11' expected the water volumn with removing the middle - as this is a "pothole" and no streams run into it I don't expect the level to remain constant, but the overflow should empty any excess. I plan to wait until Apr or so and test the water to see if it needs amended or not and if the plug holds, the neighbors rebuilt pond is up to the overflow we put in = so I'm hopeful for my two ponds.