I have a 12 acre tract I am completing building a house on in Georgia. I want to utilize a small creek on the property to build a 1/4 acre(or so) pond. The creek lies at the bottom of a large gully about 50 feet across and about 25 feet deep. Near where I would want my head end of the pond, the creek dives down into this canyon of sorts. What I am thinking is that I get my trackhoe guy to build a temp dam halfway down the proposed pond site to dam up the creek, then dig out the bottom half of the pond and build the dam (with a overflow pipe). Then when the dam is completed, bust the temp dam and dig the rest out with the trackhoe. The dam would be abot 25 feet wide so I can drive my tractor across it to bush hog in the woods during the year. With the canyon that is there being expanded, the pond would be about 100 foot wide and about 25 feet deep, and about 200 feet long... anyone see any issues right off the bat? I will post some pics asap, but by the way this site has been a huge help already. Thanks
Does the creek flow 24/7? to much water can be as bad as to little
yes but it isn't a huge flow.... creek is about 2 foot wide and 4 or 5 inches deep
That can be alot of water for a 1/4 acre pond. First thing I learned when I built my pond was you are better of with no creek just rainfall from your watershed, did not make sense to me at the time
Where in Georgia?
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TBoy, strongly consider the use of a core to keep the dam from leaking.
Hopefully this is a non-issue, but please consider that some government agencies are finnicky about damming up a creek, particularly if it is constant runner. There have been numerous discussions about this; I think the jury is out indefinitely about a standard procedure. There are some good threads out there...just can't find 'em right now (dang search engine
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Involve govt? another one
ok, I have been chasing dnr, the corp of engineers, and even the local NRCS.... they all tell me something different, and some even say that off the record I should just build it and be done with it. They all agree that the process is a mess and the local nrcs guy said they only built one pond all of last year in this region although he knew many more were built under the covers... what a mess
Sounds like pond prohibition is being practiced in your state. I'm glad most states don't have excessive rules from preventing us from such pleasures as a pond.
I build what I want to, where I want to, If I have to pay for the consequences later, then that's a gamble I'm willing to take.
You have to determine what risks there are if you build a 'illegal' pond and what the chances are if your caught. If you aren't a gambler, then go by the state's stated rules.
The less you have the government in your affairs the better.
T-boy..
I goofed an interesting link in my above post. It has some firm but friendly legal jousting that is worth a read.
let's try again:
Involve Gov\'t?
sounds like the same thing I am seeing... either risk doing it and see what happens or do nothing because the process is so flawed that it is impossible to get it done... where are my trackhoe keys?
tractorboy,
I'd like to re-enforce Bill Duggan's caution above...regardless of Government agencies, look very carefully before daming up a creek. That small trickle of water can one day turn into a raging torrent that can easily destroy most dams.
Find out what the worst case scenario is for that creek in terms of rate of flow, height, and length of time at the maximum flows. Design your dam accordingly but with plenty of margins above worst case. The weather trends are for more and more unusual weather in the future.
Bill is right on...look very carefully before daming that creek.
tractorboy,
Do you know how many acres are in the watershed that the creek drains? You can multiply your annual rainfall in feet times the watershed acreage to get an idea of how many acre-feet of water you have to handle.
Where in Ga are you?
My 3 acre pond is in middle GA. I have issues with TOO much water that really complicate management, fertilizing, etc.
Frank
Frank
Tractorboy,
The ACoE in your (our) area is impossible to deal with. Take the advice to check on your watershed and build your dam accordingly. And just build it.
tractor boy---i am looking at building a pond in middle ga.---i have spoken with 2 offices of the nrcs---both told me they were out of the pond building business unless it was an irrigation pond. i have the feeling it is a question of who you know and if you can get someone to put pressure on them to help you. i also got the impression if you pushed those nrcs folks in mid-ga area that there was a little intimidation factor there such as "we have all the rules and guidelines so you'd best not mess with us or we'll make your life really difficult" attitude. politics and ponds, eggs and issues in georgia i'm afraid. good luck---one of the contractors i am going to get to bid on my pond is going to scratch an outline for a pond, shoot some elevations and cut some test holes for me next week. i plan on getting 3 bids and see where to go from there. good luck on yours
thanks, I hope to start on mine this winter. The local folks are impossible, and my pond will be small (less than an acre)they tied to put the fear in me as well with statements like 100k fines, and jail time. I told the guy he was nuts
hope to start on mine by end of september---hope to wind up with a 2+ acre or so pond--am planning on having most of it excavated rather than damming up a creek that may get too much water in winter times-and i chickened out on damming the creek after reading the horror stories it can cause as well as talking to folks that have ponds built in that fashion. --re: the threats, etc-- i was told by several folks that it is always easier to ask "forgiveness than permission" on this type project---with any luck no one will pay much attention to your project unless you draw attention to it in some way. good luck on yours.
I have two clients currently building ponds aroudn Milledgeville, one almost complete. So far no questions asked I wish you the same luck. remember to lime the heck out of the poind priro to filling in that area you need it bad and chepaer to do it now than later.
Sounds like georgia has alot of pond nazis.
I'm glad many of the states aren't so legally restrictive.
Well since this one popped backup let you guys know one pond is complete and other is filling now and no govt involment so far.
Jersey, are we ever going to hear your story???
Sunil, I'm so close I can almost taste it. It has been an unbelievable battle with any and every gov't agency I have had to deal with. I still can't tell the whole story because I still have one small battle to fight. But I can tell you that I have won the big fights, and am ready to start digging. Problem is, the guy who I want to build it won't return my call. And I don't have anyone else on the hook to build it.
Greg Grimes, can you recommend someone down here?
UPDATE:
My digger called! I'll be meeting with him tomorrow! Stay tuned...
I'm taking pictures now. I'll show 'em to you when it's time.
sorry I do not have anyone to refer out that way. keep us in the loop.
tractorboy what you end up doing should ultimately depend on the watershed. If this creek is live year around have you considered a concrete creek crossing that holds water deeper in the creek? I know you want be able to keep fish in it but it can add ecstatic value and be used for other recreational and AG purposes. It will provide you access to your wooded land. I don't know what the laws are for building a road crossing but it might be easier than calling it a pond.
For all you guys spun up on the GOV red tape concerning private ponds you’ll love this one. In my area of Texas we are in the middle of a GAS BOOM. They are drilling rigs popping up like a Christmas tree farms. The oil & gas companies are governed by the Texas railroad commission and not the EPA. They are building ponds on blue line streams, building creek crossing across large streams by just pushing brush in the creek and throwing in a bunch of riprap stone. My neighbor next door told them that they had better put in a concrete crossing or it wasn’t going to last. Well it lasted until the first 2 inch rain, it’s gone now. They are putting pad sites directly in flood hazard areas etc… Guess what they don’t have to have any type of permit to do this type of stuff. Maybe you guys in Georgia ought to form yourselves a oil and gas corporation and declare you’re exploring for oil and gas. Then you can do what you want when you want. From what I’m seeing around here this clean water act is BS.