Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations water is flowing over our dam

My wife just called and said water is flowing over the top of our dam above our house. Pray it don't break. Water is over our deck, another 6 inchs and it's in the house. Shop is already flooding. Wife & dogs have headed for higher ground.

She called back on her cell the water has crested and is starting to receed. We are ok for now, I hope it stops raining. I guess I should change my moto on here.

If you could send some of that rain my way. Hope it stays ok.

Pulling for you, RT.

If it's a small to medium sized pond and sits above your house I'd consider putting a monster trash pump on the dam and pump that mother down to assist with the excess water and save your house and your pond. Good luck.

RT hope all goes well for you,I know the feeling very well.
OK OK whoever is doing the raindance in Texas this aint funny anymore.Ive fixed my emergency spillway 3 times this year and I still have to fix it again.Im guilty of wining about the drought as I am in the lawn repair business but this is rediculace.
Tom G

RockyTopper, I hope all stays well for you, Its either feast or famine, it seams with the rain.

Good luck, RT.

I've been looking at Texas radar this afternoon and it looks like lots more coming.

Rockytopper,

Hope it works out for you. Everytime the weather experts predict an end to the rains, it just starts raining more. I can't even remember how many times they have said the rains are over and the following weeks is going to be hot, humid and dry.

Today the high tempature barely broke into the 70's!!!!!!! End of June in East Texas and it should be in the mid 90's.

Can you give us some details on your spillway? Is there a primary and emergancy? How wide and deep is it? How much is the water above normal to be going over your dam?

Eddie

RT,

I'd like to add my concerns and hopes for a positive outcome. In addition to Eddie's questions, I'd like to add "how long was the water going over the dam"? I'd think it would take several hours of overflow assuming it was a gentle overflow and not like a huge sudden influx of water. Wishing and expecting you will have a positive outcome!

p.s. remember our conversation about hay last year...this year I can't get any cuttings so far because of water in the fields. What a difference a year makes in Texas.

ML same for me on the hay can't get it cut, I just got home damage to the shop was of no concern, But the second wave has hit and it don't look on the radar. I'll report later if we don't have to vacate and expand on the spillway questions. I'm logging off to watch the water rise again.

Even if your pond is not above your house I would still run a pump to bring it down for the next rain. You can also use flexible drainage pipe without a pump if you can fill the pipe and the other end is below the starting pont in the pond.

Do you have an emergency overflow? If not it's time to get one started. Dig a trench and line it with stone. Channel that into a PVC pipe at the end of your emergency overflow if necessary.

Best of luck! Texas: Land of not enough or too much rain!

Best wishes RT.

Eddie, hope the rains head out our way! Are you still full? I calculated I still have 4 feet to go!

hang in there RT..This too shall pass

Thanks for the support guys. I'll return the favor some day if you need it. For now I'll Pray you don't. We were lucky the rains weren't as bad as the radar was showing. The spillways are running full but no worries for now. All I can say is the LORD has blessed us again. Can I have a HEY MEN?. 12 years living on the pond (15 feet away), today was the closest we have come to flooding. The worst thing was having to be on the phone with my wife and I'm a hour away helpless, all I could do was prey and tell her to flip the breakers and get out and head up the hill. We were lucky so many folks around our area have not been. I pray for those folks that have lost love ones. I'll talk spillways latter it's hard to think about those things at the moment. God bless all of you.

Amen RT !!!! Hoping things stay dry at your place for a few days until the water goes down.

RT,

I sure feel your anxiety. Reading your posts put my stomach in very serious knots.

I've experienced way too many hurricanes and floods. I'll spare all the gory details. I've moved several times in the last 35 years, and each move has put me closer to the clouds.

I now live near the top of a mountain, but I still get real nervous when it storms.

I feared I was going to lose my dam last October. The water in my pond has been above the standpipe ever since. I've made a lot of changes since then, and I've done a lot of maintenance. A new backhoe arrives on Friday for even more changes.

We'll probably endure, but Mother Nature sure has a way of reminding of us who is really in charge.

Please stay safe. Keep us informed when you can.

Ken G.

I had 3.7 inches yesterday and last night here in the D/FW metroplex. It's still raining lightly this morning but we have another day of it. According to the Weather guy, it will be raining for the next 4 or 5 days here. Lots of roads closed in the city.

Rocky-T
I'm on the road this week; just picked up this thread. Even tho I am staying at a Holiday Inn Express, I am helpless to assist but to add my prayers that all ends well. How is the pond with the hydroelectric turbine?

I give, I'm heading to higher ground, Colorado here I come. If it floods us there we are all in trouble. I'll be camped at around 10,500 ft elev.

B-ski if the hydroelectric turbine was hooked to the grid these past few months I'd be raking in the doe. I heard this morning on the news that this rain event is reaching Illinois, I hope your pond is catching full. You have still not seen that, it will be a glorous day my friend your first experience of seeing a new pond full.

As for spillways the pond above my house 21/2 surface acres has 2 emergency spillways on each end of dam. The one on the south side will flow about 30 inches of water 50 ft wide before going over the dam.The other secondary emergency will flow 12 inchs of water about 40 ft wide. There is also a 12 inch pipe with 24 dia drop inlet in the middle of the dam. As I have said many times 300 acre water shed can flow a massive amount of water. Sorry guys but you fellows that mentioned pumps kind of makes me cuckle a little. I've seen my 1 acre pond beside my home average depth about 9 ft deep during a drought rise from 1 ft deep to over 2 ft above pool in less than 15 minutes last time we had an event like yesterday. I could pump both my ponds dry and they would fill multipull times in a 4 inch rain event. I have been meaning to cut the secondary spillway down but the rainey season hit and I have not been able too get it done. I'm not really concerned about the dam breaking as you have said most likely it will eat a hole in it if it flows over long enough to start cutting and want be an instant burst event. I'm fully aware that I don't have enough free board in my upper pond, I got greedy and raised the spillway after it was built. Don't try this at home it can be scary at times.

My house actually sets on the dam of the pond beside it. The house is about 3 1/2 ft above pool and the spillway across from the house is about 75 foot wide. When it reaches capasity like yesterday my entire pasture and surrounding area of the house is about 18 inches lower than the mound our house is on. This area including my drive and shop become another spillway several 100 ft wide. If you look at my website on the location page and pond page you can see what I'm trying to discribe. Good luck to all and may god share some of this rain with the pond bosses that need it.

Rockytopper where is your pond exactly? I am just as nervous as you are.

James I am about the same distants south of Fort worth as you are north. I thank you guys have had much worse than we have. If we get an 8.5 inch event in 2 hours My entire property will be under water. Thank god he gave me the vision to build a 3 story house.

James by the way I just read this tread http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=004483

If your friend or anyone else in my area need LMB, my 2.5 acre pond is full of them about the size in the above tread. I stocked this pond originally to be a bass pond. I personally don't bass fish much I'm a CC guy. My son is the bass angler and when he lived closer to us he kept the numbers in check and we harvest and ate them. About a week ago when he came to visit he caught 10 bass in leass than 30 minutes and they were all about 10 to 12 inches. If anyone needs some come see me I need to thin down the numbers and I'd be glad to share free of charge. Bring the salt!

Thanks! I'll tell my friend. Last year I prayed for rain every day and now all I can say is Thank you Lord for your generosity, Please don't let my dam break!