Hey Guys! First let me say this is a great site and I've enjoyed reading and learning from each of you. The issues... The lake/pond was built as a farm pond back in 1960. It's an 8 acre lake that is surrounded by 8 homes. We all share the lake and all have ownership. Since the lake has been here it's never been dredged or had any maintenance performed. The past few years we've really noticed the sediment buildup on the shallow end of the pond. We've stopped up the drain a few inches to try and fill the shallow end enough to get our small boat into the water. In doing this we noticed the bottom of the drain pipe has rotted out. I have also noticed a small leak next to the drain as well.
The pond is stocked full of great bass and all seem to be really healthy. We only have a couple of us that fish the pond so it is not over fished and fish don't see to much pressure. We've caught several 5-6lbs bass and a few 7-10lbs over the last couple of years. This is something that I really don't want to see effected by any changes or fixes that need to be made.
So... What should we focus on first? Should I address the drain issue first or deal with the sediment issue on the other end? I should also mention we do have a ton of LARGE trees on the dam. We do not see any leaks on the dam and the water level usually stays pretty consistent. I have started the process of looking for a contractor (if anyone has a recommendation for anyone in MD please give it) but I do want to have a little more knowledge and a better grasp of what I want done first. I'm attaching a few pictures to try and give everyone a better idea of what I am working on.
Those work , but you manually have to go to them. You could use the icon box on the top of the posting box that is for "link to webpage" to make it an active link. Makes it easier for everyone. I will try it to se if I can get it to happen.
If it was water in that spot before, sure does look like you have a sediment problem with the water entering. Could you create a pocket/sediment pond before it enters the big pond?
I guess I could but not sure how big of a pocket I would need? If you look at the other creek it is washing in a lot of sediment as well. If you look at the first picture of the entire lake you can see where the boat and dock are. The water is low but even full that side of the pond is only a couple of inches deep.
With 8 acres you have enough room to drain down the lake and have an area to let the fish survive assuming you have enough depth. First off before you plan to renovate the pond have you determined the extent of the silting problem. Has the deep part of the lake lost much of it's original depth or is it ok? The problem with trying to fix it is if you don't dry up the areas for an extended period that need to be cleaned out you are going to be limited on what equipment can be used for the job. Then the biggest issue is what to do with all that mud. Sense you are talking about shared property do you have an area to put the soil? If it is mud then it will have to be piled and left until it dries and then have the equipment come back and work it smooth after it dries. Often times the best place to put the spoils is on the back side of the dam to increase its back slope makes for easier maintenance. All this starts adding up quick in cost. The fish you have are cheap to replace compared to what the lake repairs are going to run. You need to weigh all that in before you decide the correct plan of action.
The road goes on forever and the party nevers end...............................................
I'm not really sure how the deep end has been effected over the years. Right now the deepest point of the pond is about 14 feet deep or so. It's a fairly large portion of the pond on the dam side of the pond. The problem with putting the mud on the dam is that I can't get any equipment back there. Since the pond was built the trees back there have gotten pretty large as you can see from the view across the lake. I have a large backyard so the silt could be spread out to dry there. I would just have to put up a silt fence or something to surround it to keep it from going back into the pond or creek.
I had thought we could do this on our own but the more I look into it I don't think thats such a good idea. I need to find a contractor that knows what they are doing in my area and I really don't know how to do that. I don't see too many places on the net that say they build or renovate ponds/lakes in my area. Any idea how I can find a good contractor to tell me what the best course of action would be?
May I mention that I do have more or less the exact same problem with the leak? 2 acre pond, built in the 60s, great Bass in by now Deepest spot about 9 foot Fed by creek and spring, natural overflow outlet.
Never any maintenance done and now the dam leaks around the old drain pipe including a wet spot of app. 8 by 20 feet. Same issue with total lack of access and large trees growing for decades on the dam.
Estimated amount of leaking water is around 24,000 gallon a day but the water is clear and has no silt or clay residue in it.
I googled a lot and could find only one company anywhere close by - thy showed up for a site inspection, good communication but they seem overly eager to start the job ASAP and their quote is around 50K.
Any idea how I can find a good contractor to tell me what the best course of action would be?
DJM--Somebody on the forum might be able to lead you to someone in your area. There are many past posts that talk about what to look for when hiring a pond guy. Even a recent one talks about a "bid" format, and what others think about that, with some helpfull advice on the process of hiring. If you can't find it in searches, start another thread of you own.
