Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Dam height

How high above water level should the top of the dam be on a small 3/4 acre pond? At full pool on the pond I'm speaking of there is only about three-four inches. During heavy rains the water breaches the dam. Here are some pics. Dam Thanks for any input.

Pappy - I think the freeboard height (dirt height above water) will actually depend on the watershed area for the pond. The smaller the watershed the less freeboard height that would be necessary. A pond of your size I would expect the normal free board height to be around 12". But for appearence, less freeboard looks better. 3" -4" is probably okay in your case, just keep the spillway well grassed and maybe don't mow the grass quite as short in this area which will make it better and more durable for erosion control since the spillway could get a lot of use after most rains.

Thanks Bill. That makes me feel better. I'm going to build a house on the backside of the dam and I don't want it floating away the next tropical storm that blows through. One other question I have is how wide should the spillway be? Thanks.

The NRCS planned mine for 2 ft. above the top of the 12 inch overflow pipe.