Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations is there a name for this box

This is what I call our "drain box" - because I don't know if it has another name.

It's about 10'x12' and runs down to the base of the dam (as near as we can tell). Inside it is a corrugated steel pipe that is about 30" (I'm guessing) in diameter that runs through the dam and dumps into the creek on the other side.

Anyway, it's a kind of a "standpipe" arrangement only the concrete box is the standpipe. I've never seen another one like it.

What's it called? What are the potential issues with it? Keep in mind that we are in the all-hard-red-clay-everywhere-for-100- miles area. Ponds around here almost never leak.

Al,

It looks like a "monk drain" but I don't think it is due to the lack of dam boards that are removed or replaced to control the water level.

Hmmm...thanks, Cecil!

We actually have some boards that we were thinking about using to keep the water level up a little bit in the summer time.

Of course, the beavers have been doing a swell job of plugging up the hole for us if we don't keep it cleaned out.

A couple of our reservoirs in my area have very similar drain systems, but they are 150-200+ acre reservoirs... Along with that style drain, they also have emergency spillways for extreme flooding during hurricanes and such. No clue what it is called though. I'd be curious what the pros and cons of it are as well...

We also have a spillway system that is well away from the dam for emergencies. We didn't even realize we had one until we did have an emergency! That box in the photo was UNDER WATER! It had about 6" of water running in over the top on all 4 sides and the water was almost at the top of the dam.

That was right after we bought the place and we didn't even know that the notch on the front of that box went down about 4 feet. That's when we got to work cleaning it out the first time!

I think this is Agridrain's name for it

I call it extremely dangerous! That thing could suck a cow!

I agree that it is dangerous! I've been in a small boat tied to the shore when it was running water almost over the top! One of the scariest moments in my life!

Well, we've been talking about how to cap it off in a way that 2 very broke boys can afford. My idea is to put rebar or logs over the top and drape chain-link fencing over it.
We've even talked about just putting an aluminum ladder down in the hole just so somebody could get out if they accidentally fell in.

Most of the time, the water is below the opening in the front and you can even walk from the shore to the dam side of the box without getting your feet wet.

I am afraid of it - in all seriousness! We have to come up with some kind of cap for it sometime soon.

I would say so. Here is what can happen when a jon boat goes through a water control structure. You should consider if you should make it where you don't loose the top 3 feet of your productive water ie drain from 3 feet down.

BTW - I was going to take a picture looking down into it but I couldn't bring myself to do it!

Al fairly common system. I like the fact you can use the system to raise and lower the water level. Hate the fact you are taking water offf the top. Not sure about the safety part.

If you rid of this system what will you install for water control? I would not suggest the spillway its purpose is emergency not primary outlet. If you simply want to rid of this it is easy by pressure grouting the pipe with concrete from the backside but you did say cheaply and that it is not. I have had our shockboat beside many of them in normal water levels and not felt any fear. Simply put no one needs to be in a boat anyways if water is being sucked down from the top of the drain.

Al, I'm not sure you want to close that cement structure off as it could cause problems if there is a large rain event. With that said, I'd be inclined to make something that would prevent a person or small boat from being sucked down when it is running. Given the 10'x12' dimension, I would weld up a frame of 2"x4" tubing and then run 2"x4" tubing on 14" centers across the frame. That would allow 10" spacing to prevent trash buildup during an overflow. Attach the frame to the concrete with concrete bolts. That's one way to do it. Others may have a better or cheaper way to fix it. I have personally seen some serious dam damage due to trash clogging an overflow so would stay away from covering the cement whatyoucallit with small opening mesh, wire, etc...du

I'm with David u, but would add a slight modification that I learned from Rockytopper.
Make the trash rack a 3 dimensional box that is about 18" tall. That way, when it begins to clog with logs and sticks, the water will begin to rise and float the crap with it. This will, in turn, allow unrestricted flow just beneath the water surface.

Thanks, guys!

To clarify, I have no intentions of removing or replacing this box! In fact, I really like it and I think it's a great system for this pond.

We already have marine-grade 2"x10" boards (salvaged from another unrelated project) that we had already talked about using to control (raise) the water level in the summers when the pond has been dropping lower than we like.

And, I would never consider capping off the whole top of the box - I like the suggestion from David U (above) - it's kinda what I've been wanting to do when we had some money for the materials.
Thanks, David!

While I was typing this, I got a call from my pond partner who was at the pond - he says everything is fine. Apparently our hard work of getting all the debris away from the notch in the box has paid off and the water seemed to have only risen a few inches and is now back where it should be. (Some of you will remember that we only "discovered" and purchased this pond a couple of years ago - it had been virtually abandoned so, we're still in "catch-up" mode.)

Of course, part of our "problem" is that we bought this pond before either of us could really afford it. But, we couldn't let an opportunity like that pass us by! We bought 46 acres, including the pond, for $11K - all we wanted was the pond. As we get money, we'll keep improving it.

Thanks, Greg!
That event where the water was coming in over the top only happened once (that I know about). We believe we've now got that situation under control since we've started doing actual maintenance to keep the notch clear.
That whole dangerous episode with us taking the boat out when it was over-topping was a true emergency as we had just bought the place and we were very afraid for our dam. As dangerous as it was, we felt we had to clear some of the debris or we might lose the whole dam. In truth, we exercised a lot of safety precautions while doing it - lots of ropes securing the boat and me with a quite large and strong guy on the shore holding the ropes in addition to them being tied off to large trees. Still, in retrospect, I would never do that again!

Good idea from Rockytopper thru Brettski regarding the box style trash guard..du