Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Conventional Piping Design

I am still planning out my 2 acre pond here in the Brazos Valley and I was wondering if anybody had a conventional drain system that they have found that works at drawing water off the bottom or the area of the pond that gets oxygen depleted. I have seen systems that take the water off the top, but I would like to remove the "bad" water if possible when we get a gully washer. I have already been told that I don't have enough of a drop to use a syphon system.

Ezylman,
I am in the same situation with my upcoming pond. The Dam will be only 3ft at the most and I have level ground behind it. I have a few posibilities for mine. They may help you out.
1. An inline riser (Links below)
http://seabreeze-culvert.com/risers.htm
http://www.sepipe.net/html/products.html
http://www.agridrain.com/watercontrolproductsinline.asp
http://www.ponddampiping.com/asys1.html
2. Bottom draw riser (link below)
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/fisheries/420-011/420-011.pdf

Brian,
I appreciate the response. I have seen most of those designs before, but I was wondering if anybody had anything to say about one being better than another. I was also curious as to whether or not people felt that a bottom draw system was a good idea here in Texas.

You will definitely be ahead pond-management wise to draw off the bottom water.

You could use a system that resembles a siphon system for bottom water discharge.
Intake pipe near the bottom of pond.
That pipe then runs upwards into the dam.
Then lay a few feet of pipe running flat.
The bottom of the pipe running flat = where the water level of the pond will be.
Then from there lay pipe to where you want it to discharge behind the dam.
From the top of the discharge pipe running flat in the dam run a vent pipe out the front of the pond dam.
Set the vent pipe level or slightly uphill towards the pond.

Ok it is a siphon system, but if a conventional discharge will work this system will work to discharge overflow.

This system is like a conventional discharge with the intake in deep water. The water gets high enough to flow through the pipe, it does.

What won't work is trying to use it to draw the pond down below the discharge pipe at the back of the dam, i.e. siphoning down the water level in the pond.

I'm guessing because it won't work to siphon most of the water out of the pond, should you decide to, is why you were told it wouldn't work.

What I am planning on doing is have a pipe through the bottom of the dam and "T" and valve on the backside on the dam. The pipe in the "T" will go up to the height of the water in the pond. When the water in the pond goes above the pipe that is in the "T" the water will start to drain out.

Go here, Link a picture is about halfway down the page.

I like that design. I think with a trash guard on the inlet to keep debris out, that it would work just fine. What type of valve did you decide on for the backside of the dam or have you decided yet? I would want to get one that can open up all the way so that I can periodically "flush out" the pipe to remove sediment, leaves, etc.

No I haven't decided yet. There should be a link to a discussion on valves in the link I provided.

One of the discussions by Brettski has his design for a trashguard. I also remember Eddie Walker's trashguard made out of PVC and snow fence. I he made a cage out of the PVC and covered it with the snow fence. That should be under the thread named "Creating my Lake".

Edit: I found the thread about Eddie's trashguard. The pictures are on page 3, about 3/4 of the way down the page. Creating my lake

check out this website for a little help.
http://www.ponddampiping.com