With the added recent rains she is now full +1. Maybe this year I will add so kind of over flow. Thought bout doing like a concrete spillway type. Remember seeing some nice looking ones on here. Any ideas or thoughts are welcomed as always.
How much rain did you get? It looks to me like improving your overflow protection should probably be on your project list for this year. (You will almost certainly get a bigger rain event at some time in the future!)
Concrete is a great material to form exactly the structure you want. Especially if you have concrete experience.
However, I know there are a lot of good rock quarries in your area. Knowing you, I think you could pick a rock type you like (or your wife likes) and build an attractive rip rap style emergency spillway.
I bet you could get 12" or 18" rip rap pretty cheap in your area.
I called around for some quotes last week, and was trying to get good descriptions over the phone. The lady told me to just go down there and see which of the products looks best for my application. I bet if you checked in at the quarry, they would let you look at the rock before you buy.
Even with delivery, rock should also be cheaper than concrete. (Except for small loads.)
You might be able to ask snrub for some help. I think he has had rock delivered to his place.
We installed 2 - 24” black corrugated pipe and packed clay in between to keep it from washing out. We drive across the dam as it is part of the road now been in since 2014 with no problems except small fish getting out into the catch pond below.....
Rod- We have a rock quarry like 3 miles from the house. I have thought of that option also. Not sure what I wanta do. I need to go looking at pictures and see wht i like.
Pat- I love driveways over the pond dams. Mine is basically our backyard. Also only have like a 2 acre watershed. I think 24" would be crazy over kill for me.
I do like hearing all ideas. Thinking maybe some rxposed ocks in concrete so they dont wash away and look cool.
I didn't realize your watershed was only 2 acres. That definitely makes the project easier.
I think Pat's idea is probably the easiest. How far do you have to move the water to get it past the edge of your pond berm?
10" x 20' culvert is only $103 at our Menards. 12" x 20' would pass even more water and is only $116.
I was looking at a similar project on my farm using a concrete drop structure and culvert.
I was going to build a little concrete form around the pipe inlet, and then go up to my emergency spillway elevation building a cinder block structure. For an extra $20 in cinder blocks and mortar you could make your drop inlet large enough to climb into if it ever managed to get clogged.
For your pond, you might have just a few inches of cinder blocks sticking up above your normal pool level. The turtles would probably think you built a sun deck just for them!
Good luck, and think about what you would like the next time you are going around your pond on the mower. I am sure you will come up with a good solution!
Given the watershed you don't have to have a conduit to prevent overflow of emergency spillway provided the spillway resists erosion. So I like your idea of something concrete or a combination of rock and concrete at the spillway sufficient to prevent erosion and carry water away from the dam. Forcing overflow across such a surface allows you maximize volume and surface area.
I wouldn't think it would take a whole lot of concrete to do that and it could be patched as needed with hand mixed slurry from time to time.
Last edited by jpsdad; 03/15/2102:30 PM.
It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers
Have you guys checked out the latest pond boss magazine (jan feb 2021). I hope I can put these images up mods. If it's not ok please take them down. It just happenss to be on spillways.
I got some good news. Talked to fella I know who has heavy equipment. Asked him how much he charges for 5 - 8 hours with his excavator. He said 300 if I operate it and 500 if he does. Also said he would just drop it off on a friday and pick it up on the monday. I said I didnt think you rented them out. Said he normally dosnt but knows all of my family and knows I grew up on equipment. Told him if never operated a excavator before. He said just a short lesson and I will have it. Not sure how big it is yet but coming in a few weeks. I'm excited and the wife wants me to shut up about it so we both win. I want to deepen it in a couple spots. Make a diving hold and set some post in for a dock. And small fishing platforms. Any suggestions welcomed. We are planning some type of structure at the peninsula we have but told the wife I wanted to do this this so it's not in the way.
I got some good news. Talked to fella I know who has heavy equipment. Asked him how much he charges for 5 - 8 hours with his excavator. He said 300 if I operate it and 500 if he does. Also said he would just drop it off on a friday and pick it up on the monday. I said I didnt think you rented them out. Said he normally dosnt but knows all of my family and knows I grew up on equipment. Told him if never operated a excavator before. He said just a short lesson and I will have it. Not sure how big it is yet but coming in a few weeks. I'm excited and the wife wants me to shut up about it so we both win. I want to deepen it in a couple spots. Make a diving hold and set some post in for a dock. And small fishing platforms. Any suggestions welcomed. We are planning some type of structure at the peninsula we have but told the wife I wanted to do this this so it's not in the way.
I predict Rusto is going to have a huge grin on his face the entire time he is running the excavator!
My suggestion is to finish the planning on your emergency spillway project before you get the excavator. The excavator will make it very easy to complete the dirt work required for whichever final design you choose.
P.S. Make sure he installs the "FA" bucket on the excavator before he delivers it.
Yes Rod I will have what my wife calls a sh** eatin' grin. What is a FA bucket? I know most people on here dont like koi but I likem. So we picked up 3 more of them today.
Koi feeding activities of rooting in the sediments for invertebrate foods does create suspended sediment which causes natural water turbidity and less sunlight penetration AND less phytoplankton AND less FA growth. Both need sunlight to grow. Pros and Cons. Amount of suspended sediment is dependent on several factors, main ones are 1. size of koi (bigger ones make more suspended sediment per fish, 2. number of koi (more numbers makes more turbidity, koi recruitment plays a big role), 3. Koi have no stomach, just intestine, thus they do not binge feed like sportfish. Koi, to keep food moving through the intestine, spend a lot of their time looking for food in the sediments.3. amount of aeration - the more aeration and faster the pond turnover the more the sediment says suspended, 4. wind action and fetch(pond shape and long axis as it relates to prevailing winds). 5. The larger the waves and more frequent they occur the more the sediment stays suspended. If the pond in later years, as koi grow large, has low clarity with soil hue/color then you will know one of the main reasons.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/02/2106:56 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
I put ONE koi in my pond 2 years ago. Don't know what it's called, completely white, long feathery fins. It was about 12" when stocked. Next Fall I see this white 18" long fish, and I'm racking my brain as to exactly what the heck it is. Finally it dawned on me what I was seeing. I was shocked at how fast it grew.
The water is still pretty murky right now. It was alot better before the rains last week. I have no interest with pond full of them. As of right now theres 4 in there. I walk around the pond every day sometimes several times I like finding them. Still cant het them to eat the 2 different fish foods iv had. I tired dog food also with no luck. Never have got any food just 4 koi so thts prolly the problem. Up til this year if I even got close it would swim away. I'm guessing its somewhere around 18 inches. The 3 we put in there yesterday were prolly 6-8 inches.
With adding the 3 new koi expect the pond in 3 years to have even more or at least as much frequent turbidity especially if you are aerating the pond which creates more circulation to keep suspended particulates in the water column and not let them settle as well. Good wind action also helps keep suspended particles in the water column. With those fish your pond should not have a significant FA problems; no light for it to grow..
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/03/2108:18 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management