Been following you guys for a while now,and thought it would be awfully helpful to join up. My father and I have adjoining properties in which part of the property line (levee) seperates a 7 acre and 10 acre lake. We don't know for certain but judging by some trees in the dam they have to be around 50 yrs old.Seriously thinking about draining, pushing out muck, and fixing levees. Trying to come up with a plan to do it right, and most cost efficient way. My first thoughts are to drain both, then cut/ harvest all timber on and around dams. Take a year or so to rot all stumps in dam, while rebuilding lake bottom (pushing out silt, maybe even deepening some shallow areas.Then hiring the right people to rebuild dam in areas that need it. I have so many questions but if anyone could recommend any pond builders( Central MS), or have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and sorry for the long post, but my dream is to have this thing redone, manage it, and even lease it out to small group of members since my wife and I live on the property. I realize that financially it may not be possible, but I feel led to give it a shot. thanks

What equipment do you guys have?? It sounds like you want to do some of the work your self.

Stumps and trees in moderation can make good habitat. even leaving brush piles in areas. What types of trees are they. definetly get rid of the ones by the dam.

Good luck! and keep us posted.

We dont own any heavy equipment just a small tractor. I do have a neighbor who owns a dozer who has done some work out here back before we bought it,so thats a possibility. Trees wont be a problem since I also have loggers that live nearby. Most of the trees are maple, birch, and pine, some so big I can't wrap arms around them, but we got pretty good dirt down here its amazing the bigger lake still holds water it's dam is in pretty bad shape, lots of leaks, and lots of beavers!!

I went whole hog and brought out what i thought was a expert at first................then i found pond boss.I wish now it was the other way around.
Now I'm going to guess you aren't in a hurry? From my experience I would say do all the research you can on here,locally and then some.Try and make a plan of action that fits your budget,time frame and then hire a expert consultant or two and see where you stand.

Sounds like you have a nice chunk of ground there and while it may be cheaper to do everything at once for some of us it just isnt feasible.From the initial description you might be able to work in stages.

Anyway best of luck and research is your friend.

Thanks, and in no hurry. Just trying to come up with a plan.

Welcome to Pond Boss edew. Get some pond builders out there to look at it. Can't hurt for the advice. You can start weeding thru some of them to which ones know what their talking about.

I had some come out for my pond. Most gave a ball park idea of price, but they all said it if it was drained they could be more accurate in price. However, all of the ones that came out, none had a good idea of pond building, at least they didn't give me an indication of that anyway. But each one gave a bit of advice that was used and compiled in the end product. I wouldn't physically do anything until you get some basic prices. You might drain it, and then realize it's not in your budget for years (or at all). During which time you could have been enjoying it "as is".

Do lots of research here, that never hurts. Ask lots of questions.

Big trees in a levee can be a big problem. You are going to need to dig the stumps out completely with an excavator.

-HH

X2 - as the roots rot they create voids that would very easily provide a path for water to take. I believe the rule of thumb is that if the tree is larger than 4 inches in diameter you need to remove the stump and repack the hole, but others more knowledgeable than I will jump in and provide more details.

DL you're on the right track - Otto's advice is to cut trees UNDER 4" - anything OVER 4" should either be left or rotting roots will create fissures/dam failure, or excavate/rebuild entire root ball. In this case you either leave the big trees and anticipate major issues [potential dam failure] down the road, or do it right now and knock them out and rebuild areas where stumps are removed.

If it were my place - I'd contact Mike Otto and inquire his consulting rates and get him out for a day or two. MS isn't that far of a hop for him, and you can't source better professional advice in the world when it comes to engineering a BOW. He will guide you to the most effective and affordable solution.

1-800-882-DIRT (3478)
or
940-665-2258


Otto's Dirt Service
P.O. Box 2
Lindsay, Texas 76250

mikeotto@ottosdirtservice.com