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Jan 10th, 2023
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Joined: Aug 2012
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OP
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 39 |
Guys,
Have a few questions ...
I've posted in the past about damage to my dam from a recent muskrat problem. I've gotten rid of all of the varmits, and have dug out and repacked with new clay the damage done. The water level has not risen above the repairs so i am not sure at this point if the repairs worked.
However, after reading numerous forum comments I am convinced my dam is not wide enough (only 5 ft across in some areas with almost no backside to the dam) and was thinking of using the muskrat holes (i have had leaks in the dam from the muskrats) as a reason to drain the pond, clean it out (probably has 2-3 feet of muck), dig it deeper in a few areas, and then repack the inside of the dam with new clay (maybe add about 2-3 ft to the width of the dam).
My thought was to dig a trench just south of the dam (along the deepest part of the pond) and let the water drain into the ravine behind the pond.
Anyone have any ideas/suggestions based on your experiences if my thought process is sound or am i getting ready to make a big mistake. Any comments are greatly appreciated.
Army Rangers Lead the Way...
“You've never lived until you've almost died. For those of us who have fought for it, life has a flavor the protected will never know.” ~ unknown soldier
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,315
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,315 |
A link to NightRider's post that will give everyone a bit more history on the situation is here I think if you are wanting to redo it all then go for it. Sounds like you have been fighting this dropping water level for a while. I would listen to alot of that advice that was given to you in that prior post. Check out this this for an excavotor that has a long reach to start working on it right away.
Last edited by fish n chips; 11/01/12 07:36 PM.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277 |
It sounds like your dam is hugely undersized. The dam on my 1.5 acre pond is about 50 ft across.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910 |
You guys in Texas do do everything bigger.
Two ponds, 13 and 15 acres on the Mattaponi River.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277 |
Not really. I'm talking about the bottom or foot of the dam. I expect that I am misunderstanding something. I can't imagine 5 ft. of piled up dirt holding back much water.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910 |
Only playing with you, Dave, I got some good news yesterday and I was feeling rambunctious. I like reading your posts. We had outhouse till I was 12 yr. old.
Two ponds, 13 and 15 acres on the Mattaponi River.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,055 Likes: 277 |
Ken, about 20 or so years ago, I had a small camper trailer on my land. No electricity and no plumbing. Then I got married and my brand new wife didn't really go for my ideas of "roughing it". So, I built an outhouse and put it back away from the house in the woods.
Not long after that a guy that I knew came by for a beer. He worked for the County. He saw the outhouse and asked if it was a deer blind. I said no. He said he knew a deer blind when he saw one. I asked why he thought it was a deer blind. He said that it must be a deer blind because outhouses were illegal to use in Montague County. I asked why. He told me that college students, majoring in Public Administration, were being told that they needed to change/modernize things when they graduated and got jobs in rural places. He said that this foolishness was going on in most rural areas. I asked what to do about the cows. He said that, evidently, it was OK for the cows to poop on the ground or for me to squat over a log but I couldn't enclose a privy. So, I painted "Deer Blind" on the crapper.
That motivated my Wife to start looking for a Trailer House. We bought one and dug a well. What really motivated my Wife was seeing a rattlesnake about 10 ft from it. That worried her. Yeah, I like indoor plumbing, electric lights and A/C but resent the idea of a regulation like that.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 910 |
Dave, your logic agrees with me. Sure don't miss the privy but own a COW (cabin on wheels) close to my farm.
Two ponds, 13 and 15 acres on the Mattaponi River.
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