Hi, my name's Mark and I'm a pond owner. Some time lurker, no time poster, now I got a problem. Figures, eh?
My little project is in Nebraska, not that it matters right now. I have a quarter-section with several ponds on it but am focusing on two right by the house. Total surface acres runs about 2.5 with the "upper" pond draining into the "lower" pond through a pipe in the dam. It's a 15 foot drop or so from one to the other. Upper pond is about an acre. No problem there or with water flowing into the lower pond.
Lower pond drains via a corrugated steel riser and barrel through the dam. Riser looks really big to me (I didn't build these ponds), like about 44", and the problem is there. Water has washed dirt out around the riser about 4-5' down and there is a hole rusted in the riser. Water is flowing over the remaining bank, dropping down into void surrounding riser and through hole down to barrel and on through the dam.
I'm not very smart and don't know what to do...but I have great fear it involves cables, a helicopter, several lazy and overpaid men leaning on shovels, numerous permits and incalculable embarassment on my part. Don't tell anyone, but I've considered dropping gravel into the void to cover the hole and pouring cement to "cap" it but will also need to bring in lots of dirt to fill the void and, if it doesn't work, have to remove all the dirt and cap under cover of darkness before calling in experts (and helicopters).
We just got the fish to catchable sizes (started stocking after refilling the ponds 2 1/2 years ago--they were dry when we bought the property) and have enough bluegills, channel cats, wipers, walleye (really) and, as of last fall, LMB in there to keep my son's Boy Scout troop busy for weeks on end. I hate to talk about draining and losing them as we don't have them all named yet.
Is there any hope for me...or at least my pond? Is this fixable on a long-term basis or are we talking removal and replacement of the drain?
Thanks for your help, thoughts and patience with a newbie.
