Farmallsc, I could use some light rains if you have some to spare. I put out 100 pounds of grass seed around the pond and dam last weekend and my little well pump can't run but one sprinkler at a time. And, the pond needs three more feet to full pool, but I don't need any flooding! I hope it's not too bad down there.
We have had a nice rain this morning. Not sure what rain if any last night. I planted 4 acres of wildlife food plots yesterday ( Eagle brand soybeans, iron clay peas and Sunhemp) just before this rain. I have more to plant this month.
Last edited by TGW1; 04/11/1709:12 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Went to pond, it's chocolate. It generally takes about 3/4 days before they eat again. I threw a couple handfuls in case Catfish want something. Pond is way up now and hopefully be good this summer
2.1 inches at my pond near Hallsville, Texas. Time to pump some out of the main pond into the storage pond, which gets very little runoff. That way I can dump the storage pond water back into the main lake during a dry spell, along with the CNBG raised there.
My place is still down in rainfall amounts, it seams to split and go around. Hope pond will fill in the next 60 days. I lose around 1/8" per day. Looks like I got around an inch this morning.
Last edited by TGW1; 04/11/1702:35 PM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
I think we are in for more this weekend. I've got to get me another pair of rubber boots because I lost my tin can off my tractor exhaust and I used my rubber boot to keep rain out. I'm getting old and can't hop around on one leg very well.
Rain just ended about 11:10 pm. We received 3.4 inches today. Old pond is at highest level in 16 months and new pond is brimming full. Both may be spilling over by daylight as runoff completes.
We were lucky and missed the really big stuff but still got about 3" overall over the last couple days. All ponds full and overflowing except the new RES pond and it is within about 18" of full pool for first time.
Not much rain here (30 mi north of Springfield, MO). There was a flash flood watch and lots of lightning, but the rain was a disappointment. My pond would have to come up about 5' to fill. Last year's BG spawning beds are mostly high and dry, so to speak.
We were dry all winter, but that sounds like you have been exceptionally dry for your pond to be that low. That sucks! Very unusual for this part of the country.
I just walked out to the ponds at 7 AM. The CC and BG were surprisingly hungry in the old pond, even with the cool rain water entering. The old pond is only about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the emergency spillway and the new pond is barely into the emergency spillway. The new pond spreads out a lot into the edges of the field in the last two vertical inches.
Wow John, I'm glad you finally got a big rain. I sure need it up at my place. We had some a few weeks ago (2 x 2" rains), It came up a few feet, but still needs to come up a few more. One of these days we will get it. It's been full twice in the last few years. But I lose at least 1/4" a day. Doesn't take long and it's down a foot or so. I'm thinking I just need to get used to seeing it down a foot or two. Won't be so depressing. Pond
Last edited by SetterGuy; 04/22/1709:37 AM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy, If you could get some grass going down to the edge of the water when the pond is low, it would look better. Maybe try annual rye. Mine looks bad when low only if it gets low enough to expose rocks and spawning structures. I try to keep grass going down into the water.
I could/should try. When it comes up though, it immediately kills the grass. I think I'll throw down some seed anyway. Thanks
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Up here in NY, we are 4 inches over normal for the last two months. Last Thursday we has a 2.5 inch gully washer, which is fare rarer in NY than southern states. Everything was saturated before it rained, so it was all runoff! I was out rescuing our driveway in the downpour, and diverting chocolate cake batter from entering the pond. For the most part the effort paid off. The driveway only had minor damage, and the pond didn't get too muddy. Lots of other driveways had bad washouts, and a road washed out 2 miles from us.
If our pond was empty, it would have easily filled in this one event! Raging torrents of water going down the little creek that normally dries up in the summer.
Since early this morning, we have received three inches of rain, and still coming down some. The creek is out of banks. Haven't looked at the ponds yet, but they are probably over the e spillways. The old pond spills into the new, so maybe got small BG in the new pond now, no fry this year yet.
Edit: Both ponds are over emergency spillways. FHM are running upstream from new pond to old pond.
Good news John. It looks like I may ave got .7". That's better than 0!
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Good news John. It looks like I may have got .7". That's better than 0!
We are now up to 3.7". Another 2.5" is predicted for the coming weekend.
You will eventually get that big pond filling rain. Back in the worst of our drought, by mid December, I thought it might not rain again for a year, the way trends were going. If we get what's predicted this weekend, we will be caught up in only two months time.
Edit: Rain has ended. I measured about 3.5+ inches in the gauge out at the pond and 3.9+ inches in the gauge at the edge of the back porch, so I will say 3.75 inches since about 2:00 AM this morning. I thought the rain had stopped but we got one more stray cell.
Both ponds are over the spillways, old pond spilling into new. I saw several FHM migrating upstream into the old pond, and found one BG downstream from the new, so probably not a big fish loss. The new pond's spillway is very gentle; it backs up onto almost flat ground, then gently flows very slightly downward out into the hayfield.
Steady light rain here, and the pond is getting runoff, but it still has about 4' to go to spill. If this keeps up through the weekend, it may get there. I went down and threw a few handsfull of pellets, but nothing came up to feed.
Turtlemtn, I hope you get it filled. It's a good feeling to see a little bit going out the overflow. As long as nothing is washing out anywhere. My clay is like concrete. Didn't wash anywhere. John, Don't you wish we could get some of this rain in July and August? Ha
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Turtlemtn, I hope you get it filled. It's a good feeling to see a little bit going out the overflow. As long as nothing is washing out anywhere. My clay is like concrete. Didn't wash anywhere. John, Don't you wish we could get some of this rain in July and August? Ha
We got plenty last July, just almost none from August-February.
For most people in this area, I suspect the rain is just being wasted now. The ground is saturated, their ponds are full, and the water is just going down the creeks. A couple times at my old pond I watched fingerling BG go over the spillway.
I'm hoping for an additional inch or two. According to the weather app, pretty good chance of rain over the next 3 days. Climate dot com says I've received 1.6" so far. I doubt our ground has reached saturation yet. It's just been so incredibally dry for so long. If it's all light rain, we won't have much runoff.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy, Possible good rain coming your way. We are supposed to get three to six inches here. Flash flood watch is on. I hope we only get two inches and it comes slowly. The groundwater is low, but our topsoil is well soaked.
I'm guessing I'll need 10" of rain over a short period of time to fill my pond. A flash flood watch starts for here tonight and runs through Sun. night, so I may find out what it takes to fill it.
A BROAD AREAL AVERAGE 2"+ AREA DEPICTED FROM EASTERN OK---NW AR---CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN MO---SOUTHERN IL---SOUTHERN IN INTO FAR NORTHERN KY. IN THIS AREA---MAX AMOUNTS EXPECTED FROM NORTHEAST OK---NW AR INTO SOUTHERN MO WHERE AREAL AVERAGE 5"+ AMOUNTS POSSIBLE AND ISOLATED MAX AMOUNTS OF 7-9" WHERE TRAINING MAXIMIZES.
The forecasters were completely wrong. We only got 1/4 inch of rain last night, and by the radar, it has all moved away from here. They were predicting 8 inches by forecasting done yesterday afternoon. Something is seriously wrong with forecasting lately.
I've quit counting. All ponds are just slightly running the emergency overflow areas. Some nominal flooding in the small creeks.
We are not in bad shape yet, but the stage is set for some serious flooding should we get heavy rains now. Everything saturated and full with the forecast for rain all today and tomorrow. Hopefully not heavy rain.
... We are not in bad shape yet, but the stage is set for some serious flooding should we get heavy rains now. Everything saturated and full with the forecast for rain all today and tomorrow. Hopefully not heavy rain.
Same here. Our "normally" .4 acre is around .75. 2 inches so far but came not too hard. Forecast for heavier rain tonight and tomorrow. Times like this is one of the reasons I built my pump house on pilings 40 inches above the ground.
Climate.com says I've got another 3" in the last 24 hrs, and more coming. When my pond was down about 4' I moved the fish feeder a little towards the water. I may have the bottom of the actual feeder submerged at this point. I won't even be able to check on it until next Tuesday. I've been griping so much about the drought for the last 18 months, I'm going to have to find something else to gripe about.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Prayers sent. May not be the time or place to say it, but the rain has been going around my place for so long I can't remember when I have had more than an inch of rain at the pond. Crazy, how it rains all over E Texas but not so much at my place, Crazy!!
Last edited by TGW1; 04/30/1707:05 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Prayers sent. May not be the time or place to say it, but the rain has been going around my place for so long I can't remember when I have had more than an inch of rain at the pond. Crazy, how it rains all over E Texas but not so much at my place, Crazy!!
Tracy, I'm a bit south of you, but we got another inch yesterday evening and last night combined. It was a good steady rain though. I broadcast seeded my lawn with Bermuda on Thursday evening. Hopefully, the steady rain will set it in. My pond has been at full pool all year. Charlie
We got hard rain yesterday and in the middle of the night but still only got 2 inches. With a little run off the pond should have come up about 4 inches still leaving me about a foot low. Like you Tracy, rain going all around us.I have not been at full pool since June of 2016!!!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
Our storm total was 3.9 inches here. Only seven miles to the NW, they got over 7 inches. Glad I didn't get seven, as the old pond was only a half inch from spilling over before this event.
December 28 of 2015, I had water going out the overflow pipe. That was last time. Had rain in August of 2016, that got me back up to within 12.25" of overflow. Tracy, I feel your pain. I've watched radar countless times as big fronts have zeroed in on our little place. Then magically right before we get rain, it splits north and south. There's a 17,000 AC lake just west of me, about a mile. I was convinced that the lake must be able to effect the weather. We are getting hit now. I may be to the overflow pipe. Not sure, as I can't get there. I did look at the news about the storms and tornados that hit TX. Prayers definitely going out to those folks. My problems seem trivial. I've heard the saying, "no whining on the yacht." I certainly don't have a yacht, but I'm blessed..
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
SetterGuy, I think getting up to full pool repeatedly helps newer ponds with seepage problems to seal by hastening the settling and consolidation of the clay in the dam as it becomes more saturated at full pool. Maybe this will help your leak situation.
My pond is spilling. I left an empty bucket in the yard before this last rain event, and it had 7" of water in it this afternoon. It had stopped raining here by the time I got up (late) this morning. Still partly cloudy, so I might get more rain, but I've had more than enough.
Hope so. The loss of 1/4" a day is a lot, when it doesn't rain for months and months. I'd be happier with 0" per day. Ha!
Last edited by SetterGuy; 04/30/1709:31 PM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
The local COE reservoir completed in 1965 only had to open the flood gates twice since its construction and 2002. Since 2002, six times. 2002,2004,2008,2011,2015,2017. It seems to have become the new normal. We always thought the dams were over designed, but the last several years is exactly what they were designed for.
Flame, same same here with little measurable rain since last June. Last weekend it rained all day here in S Shreveport but just 20 mi west on the farm I got 1/4". I plant year round wildlife food plots and always plant on or around the end of sept for the fall rains. I had no rain till Last December. Really had no measurable rain during June through December. My watershed is not great but will usually keep up, but not this year. Like I said its been like a drought at my place.
That's right Charlie, throw full pool in my face lol
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Here is a before and after for ya. Talk about some rain this weekend we put the new dock to the test!! Notice though in the after picture my feeder is gone!! lol It's ok but I guess I need to put a little more slack in the rope!!
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
Just talked to my neighbor up at the farm. He said 6.5" since it started last week. There was one 1/2" rain last night, after everything was already saturated, that came down in a few minutes. He said every bit of that ran off. I'm thinking my feeder might be a little damp.
Edit, QuarterAcre, your pond looks good. (Filled). Don't they all? Ha. It looks like you've got some rock mixed in with your clay, similar to mine. Very nice setting though. I like trees around a pond.
Last edited by SetterGuy; 05/01/1710:32 AM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Don't mind the floating pallets. One cinder block was not enough to hold some of them down. Time to go swimming!
The rocks look good. If the pallets are for FHM nesting sites they are fine floating but they should be staked in place so they do not roam around. They will eventually saturate and sink.
If you want them to sink and they are permanent structure you might want to rethink how you use them. Putting them in a Tee-Pee formation with big zip ties (bought where they sell airco ducting supplies) or screws. Just the pallets alone sunk in a matter of a few years they will not even be bumps on the bottom as silt surrounds them. More vertical height is better. Or just stack them together three or four high. If they are for FHM and you want them to sink in shallow water you might want to tie a rope on them so you can pull them out later. In a year or two your FHM will be gone and the pallets will not provide much structure laying flat on the bottom.
From 4' of visibility to 6" in a week - I really need to address the sediment inflow
Some of that may be sediment but it looks like you have a nice green algae bloom going. Good if you want to raise fish. Not so good if you want clear water. Looks like a healthy bloom to me. I would be happy with that in my pond.
Some places in SW Missouri could use an Ark. Terrible flooding.
We are flooded here in the creek bottoms on farm land, but that is kind of a normal occurrence at least once every four or five years. I'm pretty sure the water will get high enough to get in some low lying homes though which is really bad. Times like this I'm glad our house is on the top of a hill.
4.5" yesterday, .75 the day before and somewhere around 6" the week before so everything was saturated.
SetterGuy - yes, the pond looks much better full. I have been waiting since Oct of last year for this moment and one of the reasons I bought this place was because it had rocks. Sometimes my back disagrees however.
snrub - the pallets are (were) stacked 3 high with regular bricks between each and with cinderblocks under the bottom ones on the deep side to level them somewhat. Who knows what's going on now. I'll have to wait for the water to clear up and take a boat ride to investigate. Hopefully I do not have a bunch pallets on the very bottom! Ponds are fun aren't they?
Some of that may be sediment but it looks like you have a nice green algae bloom going. Good if you want to raise fish. Not so good if you want clear water. Looks like a healthy bloom to me. I would be happy with that in my pond.
Yep the bloom started rolling right before the rains came - Its a welcome sign. Most of my FA was knocked down or went through the overflow and the curly leaf is starting to brown.
I need to take care of the runoff from the feeder creeks and the outflow of the upstream pond which flows into mine
We are about 5" over normal this year, and another inch in the forecast the remainder of this week. Lake Ontario shoreline is having some big problems with flooding, as well as the St. Lawrence river.
I'm getting a little tired of the floods of milk chocolate going into the pond that I have to run out in the pouring rain and divert. I think I have a little concrete work to do in order to make a sluice way to re-direct flood waters automatically, but let normal flow through.
I think we're finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel! I've had over 10 inches of rain over the past 7 days. The discharge pipe did its job perfectly with no water going over the emergency spillway! Glad that is over!
We got another .9" yesterday and last night. I think we are done. I don't think it ever got high enough to go out through the overflow pipe. Very close, but not quite. Now, I hope we don't have to wait until Dec for our next shower.. There's so many folks hurting around here because of too much water. I have no complaints. I think our annual rainfall is in the 36-38" range.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
we had close to 2" when I left for work tonight at 730 . plus another 1.5 on the way. great for my new pond that is filling, but I feel bad for all the farmers around. we had 2 inches last week also. some minor flooding going on here. ohio average rainfall in 37.5".
.75 acre pond dug in September 2016. YP, HBG, HSB, SMB, and RES.
May 3rd we got 3 and 6/10 inch out of all that severe storms. Pond is still about 10-11 inches low!! And I'm in deep east Texas. Most of it went right above and below us.
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
It is going to be cold, gray, wet, and miserable here for the next 10 days except for a small break around Tuesday. Snow is even in the forecast. Needless to say, spirits are low, so we have to get some spirits to fill them back up. ;-).
Only saving grace is I don't need to add dye to the pond as there is plenty of gunk already performing that task.
May 3rd we got 3 and 6/10 inch out of all that severe storms. Pond is still about 10-11 inches low!! And I'm in deep east Texas. Most of it went right above and below us.
I got 2.75" of the liquid stuff but the ice cubes wouldn't fit in the gauge.
In the last couple weeks or so we have had right around a foot total of rain. Nice sunny day today and the creeks are back down off the bottom fields. Be nice to see a few weeks of good weather now so we can catch up.
I think we had around ten inches within a four day period. Brother had been watching weather forecasts and started eight inch siphon three days before rain started and it was making us worry about whether would go over reseeded spillway. Wound up being ok.
Have a nice screenshot from my radar but don't have photo bucket account.
Here are some pictures in and around Boldt Castle in the St. Lawrence. Highest I have ever seen, and I have been going up there since I was born. This is outflow from Lake Ontario, which is the highest it has been on over 20 years, and still rising.
Just received another 2" yesterday, probably more. Luckily the denser greenery kept the chocolate milk to a minimum. Fish are not too happy about it though, none to be seen. They were very social yesterday begging for food.
We are 4" over total rainfall for the year, but in the past 3 weeks have only received about 3/8". First 17 days of that time period we had a total of 0.17" rain. The ponds around here are dropping fast.
The "eye" went right over us. We got 3 and 8/10 inch yesterday. We needed it. Pond is still about 9 inch low. Supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Maybe that will fill her up!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.