https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ2SeE_uNx8I am in the middle of my core renovation and wanted to drain the lake to be able to dry up the leak in the dam. In doing so I cut a 10 ft trench and noticed that some of my clay is real dark and loose. So much so that the trench collapsed into itself. (see the section of the video that shows the wall fall in) SO, is this good clay, just not compacted? Is it just wet due to the leak? or is there such a thing as bad clay and not workable to reuse for the core? I have read on blue clay, but this is more a dark gray when most other sections is brown,....not red, or orange, but brown (and is most definitely clay).
Almost met my maker on this one.....only thing stopping the backhoe from toppling into the trench was the boom pinned on the opposite side of the trench wall. I was able to anchor the backhoe with my Silverado while I pushed against the wall with the boom and was driving forward. Real scary!
May be an old layer of organics fully decayed or ash from a fire in the distant past? If it crumbles like that, it may not be clay.
I would be concerned that the dam was constructed with some regular ole' dirt mixed in. Hence the leak you are trying to fix. Just my two cents worth.
I am going to rebuild with clay. Im going to do this ONCE more.....and that's IT! on my 3rd try.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Tm3TzVIWQDARE TO DREAM. This is after a flood in 2018.
How's thing going for ya?
I have just gotten together enough money to finish this thing. Picture to come. They are on day 6 on the dig and WOW what a difference a good builder can make.
Find me on Facebook. I will approve your friend connection and you can see pictures. Jason Rutledge
I will also post here once the project is completed.
I am avoiding posting on here each day the progress and will once it is done.
Good luck on finishing your project!
Based on your pictures, it looks like it could be un-compacted clay. However, "looking" is the worst way to examine the material.
Clay is not just the next smaller size of particles below silt. It is actually composed of different minerals compared to silt derived from a parent rock of sandstone or limestone. True clays will develop "plasticity" when wet.
The best test is to get your material damp and then make a ball or worm out of the material by rolling it in your hand. If you can make a ball that persists, then you are dealing with clay.
Otto told me to make a ball of it and throw it against the side of my pickup. If it holds together, he can start his dozer.
I would really enjoy being on a project site with Mike Otto and hearing him say,
"Gentlemen, start your dozers!"
My buddy Otto is a character. A real piece of work. Many years ago, he, I and Lusk were flying to Atlanta to a conference that Greg Grimes was having. They went through the gate first. I got stopped because my name was on the do not fly list. Uh Oh. While they were checking things, Lusk and Otto were making loud wise cracks about me looking like a terrorist. I wasn't enjoying it near as much as they were. Anyway, they realized that it wasn't me on the list.
When we got to the conference, we had a break between sessions. I went into the restroom to get rid of some of the coffee I had drank. When I stepped out Otto said, in a loud voice. "Dave, did you wash your hands? You know what your Wife said." You could have heard a pin drop with everybody looking at me. I wanted to shoot him. I've gotten even with him a couple of times since then and we have a mutual distrust.
