My new pond project was completed yesterday at noon. It is 4.7 surface acres,14.5 ft deep at the dam. I added two earthen piers to remove more dirt and get depth at the middle section of the pond. I also had a future house pad build next to the pier with the best view point of the lake. The dam took 20K yards and is wide enough to have the drive way cross it. The Pier has been started but work stoped when my post hole auger decided to find china and the shear pin failed. 400$ later I have a new auger and drive line. Hope to finish getting the pier post in this weekend. Plan to also start adding more fish structure. I'm going to use tires and concret block. I can't believe how cheap they still are. As I mentioned before the pond has a 300 acre watershed. I have built a smaller silt catch pond above the main one per advise I got here at PB. Thanks for everyones help and I will post again if it ever rains and fills it up. I would like to share pic's but my website is down for a while. If anyone who knows how to post the pic's here to share with everyone and would be so kind please email me and I will send them. thanks to all again.
Rocky
Rocky T...I'm losin track of your pond progression. I thought you just finished one (actually 2...one below the other)...? Whassup? Have you been reading the Meadowlark guide to pond ownership...as long as there's diesel, there's another one waitin' to be dug?
Congratulations, RT. See if your local Junior College is giving Rain Dance lessons.
Brettski, I thought I cleared the mud on this issue via e-mail. The pic's I sent you are the ponds at my home place which almost dried up during the drought. I dug a large amount of the silt and additional areas out of them with my new kubota. The water fall/spillway was also existing but I improved it because my original was washing out. Rocks and concrete to thin etc.. The new 5 acre pond is on some additional property we own. I am presently farming it and raising hay for my cattle. This new pond and property is an investment which I plan to sale in the future when I'm thru with the improvements. As for Meadowlark he don't belief in pipes thru the dam and I just spent 8 grand on one. Other than that yes if I had a dozer I would follow in his foot steps. I considered buying one for this project but I believe it is to big a job for a beginner. Actually 25 years sense I operated a dozer.
Originally posted by rockytopper:
The Pier has been started but work stoped when my post hole auger decided to find china and the shear pin failed.
Rocky,
Got a great laugh on that one because I've been there and done that...somewhere on Meadowlark ranch, sometime in the far distant future, someone will discover a totally buried auger out in the middle of nowhere on the ranch and wonder, "what in the world is that thing doing here in the ground?"
When the bit catches in clay and you aren't ready, there is no way to get it out without heroic measures...a new bit is cheaper.
Yep, $8000 is the going rate for pipe installation...natural spillways you have to have anyway and last forever.
Sincere congrats on your pond! I hope you and yours have many many years of enjoyment out of it.
rockytopper - Send the photos to me and I will give you hand to get them posted. I have a 5 acre pond too, in Minnesota.
If you want you them posted @
www.rockytoppers.com, I will need your ftp password.
If there aren’t too many, I will post them on my site, no problem.
I am not known as the resident Forum nerd, though some have thought it, especially Theo Gallus who once called a spatial oddity or something like that!
I have a post on the forum about a structure anomaly that happened to me. The auger problem is a sample of the cool things that could happen on your pond. Most won’t be that expensive……
This pond management thing is so much fun that it surpasses cruising in my 1959 Desoto Sportsman 2 door hardtop and it is a whole lot more unpredictable!
Doh! musta been overwhelmed by the "Incredible filling pond" episode. You did, indeed, clear the mud...it landed between my ears.
I hope Dwight can load up the pix. I too have a distinct interest in the thrill of a 5 acre'ish water feature. The $ figures sound kinda familiar, too.
Dwight:
I don't recall that incident - maybe it was "Evil Theo"
:rolleyes:
ML:
You have inspired a T-Shirt design:
"I got my auger out!"
Rockytopper,
Congratulations on the new addition to the family!
Like the movie line from Josey Wales, you're not hard to track, you leave ponds where ever you go..
Theo Gallus – you may recall (or not): It was that “three sore backs” thread that I so innocently posted, hoping for some knowledgeable input.
The thread was hijacked and transformed into that quantum singularity convergence discussion with ewest, Dave Willis, Sunil, …….., you know that crew!
Actually it was Sunil who said, “You guys are far more geekier than I”, so I apologize for blaming you for calling me a spatial oddity (though it sounds OK to me).
You may get a good laugh at this post, if you haven’t seen it already:
http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=002661, another thing that went a little off track.
Your reef comment still haunts me: “One puff of this demon reef will instantly transform a fish into a violent, cackling reef freak, twitching insanely with manic energy and ready to murder your baits and lures with mad abandon.”
What more needs to be said?
Ahh, Josey Wales....
"You got anything to eat in there?"
"All I've got is this piece of hard rock candy.
But it's not for eatin'. It's just for lookin' through."
Josey Wales....from the Indian Chief, one of the greatest lines of all time....
"We endeavor to Persevere "
From Chief Dan George:
I never surrendered. My horse surrendered.
No offence meant. None taken.
Now spit.
My favorite movie of all time.
He also said "Dying ain't much of livin boy"
Do you know "Rose of Alabamy"?
approximate conversation
by Chief Ten Bears - Your words of death are true - there in your irons, here in mine-- so to your words of life are also true -- it will be life (cut hand)
by JW -- I reckon so (cut hand)
both - cut hands joined by blood
Favorite Movies (in no specific order):
The Outlaw, Josey Wales
The Thing (John Carpenter's)
1941
Weird Science
Predator
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Congrats Rockytopper - sounds like you have a better plan than most...hope she fills up fast. I will email and post the pics for you.
Greatest western of all time...Lonesome Dove
Gus, "eeeyyyyeeee God Woodrow!"
Gator
You did good RT! You did really good!
Boy, that pond is going to hold a huge gulp of Texas rain... if any ever comes. Good luck!
...JEESH, which end of the pipe does the hydro-electric turbine install? Are the poles in pic #2 for the high-tension wires or a pier?
V impressive, Rocky T....good stuff!
(....oh yeah, almost forgot)
"...But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
"Dirty" Harry Callahan
And just when we all started to believe that every pond is unique... It's a little spooky.
Rockytopper's 5-acre Texas pond
Captain Compulsive's 5-acre Texas pond
(with some water)
Gator thanks very much, I Hope everyone enjoy's.I must come clean my website is ok it's my home pc that is eat up with popup garbage and a 10 min task takes hours. I try to avoid it.
Brettski you have uncovered my Secret. I wasn't going to reveal it until it had been fully tested and patented.
You may recall another post when ask what my profession was I bragged, I mean replied, that I was an Aeronautical design engineer, Architect, home builder, rancher, pond designer, etc...etc... Did I leave any thing out? Oh ya my Doctorate in Astro Phyisics. Any how to answer your question My invention is a
DIPOLE OPTIMIZATIOM CURRENT KILOWATT.
“DOCK” for short. Do I have any investors out there that want to get on the ground floor?
Back to earth
The prime spillway riser,barrel,seep colar,vortec baffle,& trash rack are all aluminum. I was not aware that such a thing existed but apparently that is what the NRCS is using these days to replace the older coated steel units. It will supposely last 75 to 100+ years. I originally wanted to use ABS and concrete it in. would have been a little cheaper but not proven or recomended as a drop structure. I used the ABS in the silt catch pond which does not have near as much dirt on top of it and is just a straight run thru the dam. I will have to add some type of trash rack to it also.
FYI Bob (Mighty POND MASTER) I posted a while back and posed the question as to weather or not a vortec baffle will increase flow. You stated that you did not belief it was used for that purpose only to reduce vibration that might damage the structure. I did some research on drop structures after that when trying to determine the best design for this project. I found an article that stated that the baffle will increase the flow capacity. How much it did not specify. I plan to add one to my 12 inch drop structure in my Home pond to see if it helps. I will post results after the next big flood. Just so all know a 2 inch rain can be a flood on a 300 acre watershed if it falls fast enough. In fact it would easily fill up this new pond multipule times. We have lived at our current home for 11 years now. the house pad is only about 3 feet above spillway the closest we ever came to flooding was only a 2 1/2 inch rain that occured one afternoon the last time we had a draught like this one. The ground was totally dried out but it came so fast it all ran down the hill. We have had 5,6,7 inches many times but it has never filled like that day. Both our ponds were as low as this time and both filled in less than 20 minutes. Water got to within 6 inches of the slap.
I will post again after it fills up.
P.S. After I had my first pond dug before the house was built. I looked at a big dry hole for 6 months. I began to wander if the end of the world was near and the great draught had started and god was never going to let me see my very first pond ever fill up before the end of time. It filled the first 3 inch rain. Keep the faith it will rain again. HEA MEN!
Captain your killing me please show it full please please!!!! your ust teashing me. evil evil
Sorry captain I saw your post and thought you had doctered my photos's. Wierd your pond and mine are clones of each other. You been spying on me & my new invention the DOCK?
By the way I have already seen my pond at that level even when the dam center was not built. It caught 4 foot when we got the 6 inches a few weeks ago had to be pumped out to complete.
Well rockytopper, it's not full (far from it), but here's another pic. This was taken exactly 6 months after "with water" pic above. Yes, it's been a very dry year since we dug.
Captain my wife also believes I am compulsive about my pond but at least its honest work and keeps me and my kids out of trouble. I finished my pond about the same time as you. I only wish it had been finished a year and half ago when we had record rain. Do you always watch the weather forecast to see if its going to rain?
Captain our ponds are indead a clone now. I looked at your website and wow that's what that old dog kennel is good for so I copied your lead. I also used truck and tractor tires, and a 6 foot long concrete culvert pipe that was in the ditch at the pond site to begin with. I also built a fish palace using concrete blocks and pallets. I used Tee post to hold the tires upright. Because of past comments or concerns from Meadowlark and/or Brettski about the danger of someone diving in and hitting this in the future I concured and purchased some 5$ floating bueys from wall mart and marked all the structure area locations. I figured this would also help you know were to cast when the fish grow up and it is filled. Has anyone else done this. I have found from personal experience that you loose alot of cats because they get on your line and circle the suspendned rope and get hung up. I also used my kubota and scooped up all of the loose dirt that tends to go around the edges of the dozer blade and scooped it up into mounds and long points in different areas of the pond.
