Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Whoops I colored the highway ditch bright blue!

I'm having some issues with 15 year old pond dike and today found a couple of 2 inch holes where water was dropping down in the emergency overflow and disappearing. At the same time water was coming out in the highway ditch at what appeared to be the bottom of the dike. I put in about a tablespoon of concentrated Aquashade and in no time I had bright blue water in the ditch.

Unfortunately what I didn't need was a bunch of people downstream freaking out and calling the Sheriff's department, Indiana Division of Environmental Management and the local conservation officer to figure out where this pollution was coming from. (Even though in reality it's nothing more than vegetable dye but they may not know that). Honestly I didn't expect a teaspoon of this stuff to be so intense! Anyway I called them all up and gave them a heads up. So far I'm not seeing the Gestaspo showing up.

I was concerned about opening a can of worms but more concerned with getting the bill for the investigation.

Anyone ever have something like this happen? I can't wait to drain the pond and get the excavator out here. I'm draining ASAP even though he won't be able to make it for a month or two. I'm not having a dike burst onto the highway!

If you used the Aquashade within the recommended dosage rate I can't see why you'd be in any trouble.

What caused the holes?

Not to alarm but a black helicopter just flew over my place headed west.

They're watching you, Cecil. Always watching you...

My episode was a little more personal, and it was red.

Back in the early 1950s before Cool-Aid became a national product, we used Watkins Concentrate. It came in a little 2-3 oz., bottle that looked like a vanilla extract bottle. The little bottle was good for preparing several gallons of red drink.

I was about 3 or 4, and I drank an entire bottle of the concentrate. My mother said that everything I drank for about a week turned bright red when it went through.

Actually Ryan I believe it is against the law in my state to put Aquashade or a similar product in public waters. Even though it's harmless I would think it would mess with colorometers when someone is doing water quality testing?

However in reality I think we all know that it's a common product in ponds and when there is overflow from rain well...

One of the holes where water is coming into the emergency overflow from near the surface and about 8 feet from the pond edge looks like a crayfish hole. But I can't believe they can burrow 25 feet through the dike. Must be some other issues. I doubt a core trench was dug and compaction with a sheepsfoot roller. When I bring up a core trench to local excavators they get a puzzled look on their faces.

I am seeing more and more terrestrial crayfish holes near a trench I dug along the driveway for secondary overflow. They must be coming in off of the highway ditch. I've found some hefty specimens too. I need to to install a drainage pipe to keep the ground dry where I dug the trench. Maybe that will keep them out. They seem to prefer moving water and make their holes near it.

Send me a signed blank check and I'll take care of everything.

About 10 years ago, at our Texas plant, we wanted to see how a fuel oil spill from a full tanker would act...would it leave the property, enter a local stream, etc.

USEPA was cool with my idea...6000 gal tanker full of water, dyed green with fluorescene dye, dump it on the parking lot (right next to the fuel oil tank) and watch where it went.

The day we did it was ABSOLUTELY worst case scenario...had been raining all night, ground was saturated and it was still coming down (turned to hail during the test). Opened a 6" dump valve and emptied the truck in about 5 minutes. WOW, it really stained the parking lot and the drainage ditch but stopped just shy of the property line about 300 yards away. EPA reps went home, we'd videotaped this and would keep it for storm water/spill control planning evidence.

Now, it rained the rest of the day and we kind of forgot about this...until the next morning when the local Fire department and town cops showed up wanting to know exactly what we were ILLEGALLY DUMPING into the creek...they were a bit peeved, but calmed down pretty quick when I showed them the video. Without that, I don't know what would've happened...probably should have told them up front, but we're about 4 miles out of town, and we told everybody else, for gosh sakes. Oh well...I still get kidded about that fiasco, sometimes. Somewhere, I've still got pics of the creek (3/4 mile way) green going under the highway...

Cecil, I know what you mean about local excavators. I got the same blank look too and that was part of the reason I just dug mine myself. I practically had to twist the arm of the guy who put in my drive to compact the near 6' of fill to bring the driveway up to to the garage elevation. That 100' of built up drive has held up a lot better than the 300' that was just excavated and filled with stone.

Still an overambitious crawdad could probably still dig through compacted or not. Could yours be the dredded rusty crayfish?

Just don't use SunnyD to test for leaks http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-386878/Fish-killed-soft-drink-leaks-factory.html

Cecil, what happened with your war on crawfish, we didn't get any updates.

Adirondack,

I've been preoccupied draining the pond and moving fish so I haven't investigated the damage in the dike more precisely yet. I'm not convinced it's the crayfish. Once the pond is completely drained I want to do some cursory digging with a shovel to see where one hole originates where water was coming in only about 6 inches below the surface into the emergency overflow, and if the exit hole on the other side of the emergency overflow goes straight down or stays parallel to the surface. My dad thinks the leak is closer to the surface and follows the surface down to the base of the dike vs. going straight down to the bottom and out. I hope so!

The pond is down about 4 feet. I sank two large tanks to the bottom and a boat in the deepest water to be able to put fish in when the water is low enough they can't get away. I salvaged all the fish I wanted to last time I did this. I have two other ponds to hold then in after they are moved.

I hope your dad is right, it'll save you alot of trouble.

Are you still going to grow PS's in a cage?, I'm getting together materials to build a cage so I can feed the largest PS's I can get out of the pond. It looks like I'm going to have to order those 3 way connectors for the corners.

Oh you're building a Cecil dumpster model vs. a Bill wastebasket model? I'm so flattered!

What size PVC are you going to use? I may have some extra ones.


I am going to pick up some broodstock size pumpkinseeds from a an out of state hatchery that are VHS tested and put them in one of my small ponds and let them do their thing. (The only way I can bring them in is for them to be tested) Then feed train the offspring. The fish I am getting are already feed trained. Tomorrow I am liming the pond bottom to kill off any remanant fish and tadpoles. I'm then going to pick up some pea gravel to give them an area to spawn on. I also need need to put in some rip rap size limestone to stabilize some bank areas.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to take your spares. I found them online for 3 bucks for the inch and a half pvc.
I was thinking of filling the top pipes with foam, and drill small holes in the side and bottom pipes so air will not be trapped and the water will drain easier when I pull the cage out, how does that sound ?

What size broodstock will you be getting and what do you think will be the best feed for them ?

Take some pics of your set up when you get it finished... Sounds like a great project!

Will do CJ, I got most of my info on cages from the pond boss articles by Cecil, and Bill Cody.

Just drill holes in your PVC in several places so it all fills with water. Tie on one gallon jugs for flotation. I think you're making it too complicated.

I will be getting 6 inch plus fish. As large as possible. The supplier says he some of the largest in the region. He also has a lot of fish, so his gene pool is large too. Bruce Condello wants some of the offspring.

CSPS? I can see it now, Bruce growing 12" 2 lb PS!

Yeah we are going to compare results. It should be interesting. I am going to bring some indoors like he does to compete.

I'm planning on bringing the largest PS's indoors this fall and put them in a RAS, then give them Radiation treatments.

Radiation treatments? Why do you want to sterilize them?

No, just want to grow jumbo's, If I was worried about offspring I would just give them steroids.
Time to hit the sack, good night all.

Here's the dye as it comes out below the dike into the highway ditch.




Found this roadkill beaver on the highway in front of the pond this morning. I think the dog is trying to see if he is O.K.



Had a female mink road kill last week. I also trapped out three muskrats before I drained the pond.

Forget taxidermy, go into the fur business.

No money in that either. Especially out of season!
I get most of my muskrat activity in the pond when the season is closed too! How about you?