Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? 14acre flood control lake

I just found this site and have really enjoyed the information available. Thought I would pose a question.

I have a property that has a 14 acre flood control lake on it built by the state of Oklahoma back in the 70's. It has filled in significantly over the years and is barely 2-4 feet deep for a significant portion on both sides of the lake. It has a deeper portion in the original channel though I am unsure how deep. I have purchased a depth finder to put on my trolling motor but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I am specifically wondering about the feasibility and estimated cost of dredging this out. The property is great so if I could really improve this body of water and the fishing then it would be perfect. Thanks for your time.

It'd be cheaper and prolly easier to drain it and have it redug..

If it was built for flood control, it may be a possibility that some agency would still have an interest in maintaining it. Might be an avenue to pursue for funding.

That extra funding brings in more regulations and specifications to meet also.

The most important question is: Are houses downstream of it?

It has a very large dam. In fact, we had a 10 inch rain that raised the water level about 12 feet but was not close to approaching the spillway or top of the dam.

The funding might bring in extra regulations (which = headaches), but if it is a flood control lake, anything an individual might do could get them into big trouble. You would think digging it out would help flood control, but if something went wrong, it would be guaranteed that a lawsuit would connect it to work that was done.

When you purchased the property, was there some kind of easement that granted the gov't control over this water? Do you own all the way around this lake?

12' of flood water and still room to spare. This sounds big. We like pics!!!!!! Something that holds that much, sure sounds important. It must regulated, somewhere, somehow.

I will also throw into the mix, that if you do spend your money into digging it out, it most likely will fill in again. The question is, how soon and at what cost.

Thanks for the responses.

I own the land around the lake. There are no easements. The previous owner told me that I can do what I want with the lake as long as I don't change the function. For example, I considered building a floating dock for the kids to fish on (before I found out how shallow it was) and he told me that was no problem to do. I have no idea whether that extends to digging out the lake. I am told that an inspector from the state looks at the dam once or twice per year but I have not run into him yet. He would probably be a good source of info but I figured I would try to learn what my options were and formulate some ideas before talking to the state.

I am going to try to find a couple of photos...

Found the photos! Sorry that they aren't that good. I will have to take some better ones. Anyway, one photo is of the dam. The other photo shows the lake. If you look closely, you can see cedars that have been placed in the water all around the edges for structure by the previous owner. They are in about 18 inches of water.

I wouldn't trust anyone's word on it. If you want to be certain, get it in writing. I know, it sounds like I'm being negative, just don't want to see anyone get in trouble. Even a dock, if it would plug the overflow pipe, and damage happened, who would be responsible? Be careful. If someone checks that twice per year, I definitely would definitely pursue it safely. Possible some folks on here can recommend someone/agencies to contact besides the guy that checks it. One person will say no problem, the next one will have issues.

Nice photo. Have you checked the actual size of it. There is a thing with google maps that's called planimeter, the spelling of that is probably wrong. It lets you draw around your pond's edge for acreage size.

Sorry about that.

That planimeter is fantastic. Measured 14 acres. Interesting that the plaque marking it as a flood control lake said 17 acres. Built in 1976 by the way.

I'd give the counties NRCS office a visit and talk to them. I'll bet they can shed a whole lotta light on the reservoir.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ok/home/

With something that sounds like it is at least partially watched over by a governing body, that's the second place that I'd go to (after finding us here of course).