Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Help !! Pond overflow pipe!!!

Several years ago (1987) My parents moved into a neighborhood with a newly built pond. Today as I took the boat out on the pond for some fishing I noticed that the water level was really down. I discovered the the overflow pipe for the pond had rusted and broken off about three to four feet below the surface of the water. Ok now after all of that here is my question.... Does anyone have an idea how this pipe can be fixed short of draining the pond and starting over?

Welcome to PB! Do your parents have sole control over the pond, or is it a community pond? If that part rusted away and fell off, do you think the rest of the pipe is any less rusty?

Unless the whole pipe is inspected and found to be structurally sound, fixing that part might be money thrown away if the rest of the pipe fails.

No they are one of five who have control / access to the pond. As far as the rest of the pipe I dont know. What are my other options?

JJS,

There was a good article on this very topic in one of the Pond Boss issues last summer. In that article they detailed the major problems with use of galvanized pipe in dams, and I'm guessing that might be the problem with your pond. They mentioned 30 years as the typical lifespan of such pipes before they start to rust out.

The common approach that was used in the article was to drain down the pond to stop the water flowing through the tube, and then filling it in with concrete. Then they installed a new principal spillway tube in the dam, starting at the backside and working their way forward.

Unfortunately probably no cheap solution, but I'd think a good contractor could have it fixed in a couple days.

Bill