Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations New lake in New Ulm Texas - New yet old questions

Well - After what started as a typical event in my life of "luck" ... I am starting to see the end. I bought a property that had a 5 acre lake with a lazy creek running the full length of the pasture. I paid for it with pride as the owner had just rebuilt the dam 4 months prior and the fish were fat and happy.

We closed on the deal on a Monday - drank a serious round of happy hour drinks to celebrate.. and by Tuesday afternoon the clouds that follow me moved in for cover.... Yep - the dam busted without a sign of a leak or trouble and within 24 hours 3 thousand yards of dirt were heading for the Gulf of Mexico.

But fret not and have a beer (a good way of life learned while being reared in New Orleans) life is good all things considered. I called a friend who is in the biz - and a couple of weeks later we had 2 dozers - 2 excavators - and a 60 foot long reach pulling 20 years of silt off the bottoms.

Now - we have removed the 6 thousand yards+ of silt.. 6 thousand yards to cover a new aluminum drop pipe and dam not to mention the thousands of yards of clay for the new building pads that are 5 foot high in the low end. All of this done thanks to the dry spell and a hell of a good guy who knows his lake building tallent.

All this said and done - he was in the hole 27 days - added 3 acres of new lake and relaimed 5 feet on average in the cleanout...installed a drop pipe (I paid for the pipe myself) .... all for 23 grand.....

Did I do ok or should I have a drink and forget about it?

Love you guys - just never had the gumption to post before.

kamts

Partner,
You did alright- have a drink to celebrate! I calculate that work to be worth $64,000. If they had four of those pieces of equipment running 8 hours a day for around 20 actual work days.

What do you mean by building pads in the low end?

Come to think of it, I'll have a drink to celebrate!

Brad B.

Thanks for keeping my ego in place. I sure hated to part company with the cash but now that it is done - I am feeling like I bought something instead of "paying a fee"....

Sorry for the lack of clarity in the post regarding the pads - I am building a glorified Stable Manor... Fancy word for a home attached to the horse barn - but it will be a place for the damn kids to come home to instead of running my home like a 7-eleven.... The pad site for this pig is 70 X 250.... We used a lot of clay from the lake to raise it 8" above grade on the high side and by the time we leveled the slope on the low side - we were 5' thick.... That 40 ton off road dump ran for 3 days before they said enough...

Speaking about enough - sorry to ramble but I do have a question.

I have Bahia in the pasture and I am sure it will spread as wild as always - is it good enough to use to cover the fresh dirt on the banks etc. I am thinking about buying a Hydro-Seeder and spraying the place like crazy but not sure what grass cover is the best to use.

Any ideas - I am in the Houston Texas area where hot is hot....

thanks

kamts

Rancho,

I'm also in your area and the only thing I've been successful at growing on my pond banks is bahia. I've tried to get burmuda established but no go. The best way I've found to get going is to apread out some old bales of hay containing bahia all over the bare areas and soon you will have bahia grass cover.

p.s. you got a great deal on your pond work I believe.

Coastal Bermuda may be a good choice. It's native, it's hardy, and if you keep it mowed it crowds out undersirable weed-grasses. Don't cut it too short. It is excellent forage for horses, just don't overfertilize.

Thanks guys...

I think I will get that Hydro-seeder and spray away...

Next hurdle is dealing with the silt that is left..... We started mixing manure compost / sharp sand / silt and a couple of dirt and fillers in a portable soil mixer on site.

We can mix about 4 yards per batch in 4 minute cycles and have several different end products that are working out real well....

There are a couple of landscapers and soil lots here that are pushing me to produce more - trouble is - I don't have to if the mood strikes me just right.... Depends on how cold the beer is and if the wife is serving bacon wrapped scallops out on the pool deck....

These soil mixtures are hot (had all mixes tested at here at A&M contact) and if I am lucky - this pile will be gone by March - - - 2010....

Anyone want some - come and get it....

thanks again for the advice....

kamts

One other thought!

Anybody needing a "lake or pond guy" I have a good one. Not just a good dozer man - but a guy who knows and loves lakes. When he drops that first load of yellow steel he is on your job until it is water tight.... You don't have to fight him on how to pack the pipe in - or with the sound design features that go into a good fish lake.. He knows his game.... Hell - he pushed dirt on Sat / Sun you name it they were working....

Even went to get the 100' of pipe and drop barrel in Winnie without a fuss.....

(wish he would have paid for the aluminum pipe though - that would have been a real gift)

I am done now - sorry to ramble - going out to mix dirt until "gin time"...

kamts

Please tell us who this good guy is and how to reach him.

Hi Rancho,

definitely let us know who this guy is. Which side of Houston are you on? These guys don't usually travel far.

Also, where do you go to buy, or rent, hydro-seeders?

thanks, ER

I am West of Katy in the New Ulm / Cat Spring area.... This guy is in Simonton but I know he has done quite a few lakes across the board...

Feel free to contact him:

Conservation Inc.
281-391-8350 Office
832-731-1513 (cheated and gave his mobile - that ought to get him going)

Clint Steffens

He came to us via a good network of friends and had praise from all of them.... Now - I am on the band wagon as well.

He was not the low bidder by far... but it is a "turn key" type of deal with him.... Lump sum pricing can cut either way I guess - but I like knowing where "the buck stops"..... I am not sure if I can live thru the hourly rate thing without being on site full time.

good luck

Ed

Sorry I missed your question in the post..

I decided to buy on from a company in PA... They set you back a couple of grand or more - and I am not sure if it will pay for itself on the lake project alone but I have several other uses on the farm.

Not sure if they rent them but to have someone do the job on bid can be done easily. The going rate here for a seed/mulch application can range from 2.5 - 4.5 cents a square foot. Good deal if you can control where to seed and trust them to not cheat on the goods....

I have an old seeder (hence stepping up to a system that performs better by suspending the slurry in the tank with jets vs paddles) and we can apply a good seed for about 1.5 cents a foot. The new sprayers let you keep the target tight (a good thing for the slopes to the water level and on hard to reach areas).

I can get you contact info if you wish - or I am sure that there is a bartering system with enough gin if you live in our neck of the woods....Let me do mine and I will tell you if it is worth borrowing...

good luck

kamts