Here is one of the main threads that finalized my decision to create a sediment pond. I read this thread and then for the life of me could not find it again. I thought it was a much older thread and that is why I kept missing it.
I started my forage pond not too long after that, then my sediment pond later that summer. The above is a really neat and extensive way of managing sediment and water flow into and around his pond.
I would like to say that Catmandoo was my inspiration, but his property is much too beautiful and picturesque for me to ever imagine my sediment pond looking any thing like his. My flat Kansas farm land ain't never gonna look that good. His best pictures are here , but here is a thread where he shows some winter pictures of the same sediment ponds: Stopping silt from runoff Bout 3/4 the way down the page.
FireIsHot was my original inspiration getting me interested in small ponds and was one of the main threads that caused me to "go for it" with originally a forage pond, then later the above sediment pond. His problem with excess water causing LMB to get into his forage pond helped me to hopefully avoid the same problem. FireIsHot forage pond thread
I would be completely remiss if I did not mention highflyer's Topias (although I'm still a little miffed that he did not name his last one Snrubtopia ). They surely had a lot to do as far as encouragement for me to try my hand at small ponds supplementing my main pond. But I'll have to say I did not fully appreciate them till I saw them in person at Highflyer's 2014 PBF get together . They look so small in the pictures compared to his big, beautiful lake. But in person seeing them I saw the potential and his enthusiasm for small pond management. If Hyflyer has another PBF get together some day, for sure go if you can. The world famous Topia's
I know I'm forgetting others that were also inspiration that caused me to delve into small ponds including the above sediment pond. Thanks to all. It's been and continues to be fun. And what's life good for if you can't have a little fun along the way!
The way snrup is posting research links lately, we may have to call him Lil ewest soon!
Yep. I see a new PBF moderator in the making. Darn shame. He seems like a nice guy!
Don't think there is any chance of either one of those things ever happening! Best I can do is barely try to hang onto the coat tails of the great knowledgeable ones!
This is one of the fish stocked in my sediment pond late last summer (1-3" with most being around 2")
It should be either a CNBG or a RES (only thing stocked in addition to FHM). The ear tab has not developed so their is any color to it.
Which is it?
Caught today on a tiny #18 jig head with a pinch of Slim Jim sausage. Trying to catch a few to see how they were doing. This one 4 3/8". Did not catch any others. Yesterday the main pond had lots of fish activity with a sunny day and 55 water temp. Caught a few small 5-6" BG and a 13.5 LMB. But today overcast with rain prediction tomorrow and not much biting.
So RES or CNBG? I'm guessing CNBG because I've always seen at least some orange or red on the opercular tab on any RES of that size. Have seen a few small BG before with no coloration on the tab.
This sediment pond has a good algae bloom with maybe only 18". So it is not clear at all.
Totally different from my main pond right now which I can see at least 5'. Threw a white cattle salt block in 4-5' of water off the dock and can see it plain as day. FA coming on like gangbusters. Ordered some Cutrine Plus.
Both mini forage pond and this sediment pond have a good planktonic algae bloom.
A few years back, I was looking at a project similar to your pond, where the watershed would be carrying in a large silt load. My wife, said my only chance in hell of investing that much money was if she would have a "beautiful" lake.
My business went a little south before I made enough money to buy that land, but I sure did a lot of planning! I did plan a sediment settling pond much like yours.
My only design modification was to use a gravel-filled gabion basket for the water interchange between the settling pond and the main pond. I was going to put geo-fabric on the bottom and the "downstream" sidewall, and then fill it with the recommended size of gravel.
This system should allow a slow exchange of water from the settling pond to the main pond, but no exchange of fish or fry if you did want to try to manage the forage pond.
It has the added advantage of doubling as an emergency spillway for that 100-year rain event. If you had 2' of freeboard, and installed the top edge of a 20' long gabion basket 1' above normal pool, then you would have 20 square feet of outflow (equal to a 42" pipe).
If you had it perfectly level, it would go from a gushing waterfall to a trickle fairly quickly as your run-off water crested. Hopefully, there would only be a very short window for adventurous LMB to swim upstream.
One thing about adding a sediment or forage pond that lacks top line predators is that frogs and resulting tadpoles have few things trying to eat them so they flourish. Here are some night time pictures around the sediment and the tiny pre-sediment pond. The pre-sediment pond had lots of what I think are peeper toads. They were sure loud. Only saw one pair around the sediment pond and none around the main 3 acre pond or the 1 acre old pond. But for some reason this fairly new excavation (last fall) they really took a liking to. Lots of pairs and love was in the air. The one in the first picture was not so lucky though. The next to last picture a pair was getting lucky.
Edit: confirmed it was a Diamondback water snake. Not poison and harmless although purportedly can get aggressive when they are big. See them around the pond somewhat regular during the summer.
One problem I have in this situation is that the sediment pond full pool level is only about 9 inches above the main pond full pool level. Then the tiny pre-sediment pond ahead of it that I dug last fall is only a few inches above the sediment pond and it at full pool is right at the bottom of a culvert that is at the exact top of the hill (culvert brings water in from a farm field terrace and the culvert is there because a farm road passes over it).
So I was working with really tight elevation differences. Had my pond full pool level not been so close to the top of the hill where this terrace water runs in, I could have done things differently and probably a lot better. But I think it works pretty well as is, compared to having nothing like I had before I built it.
I am seriously considering adding a sediment pond to each of the two swales bringing water to the main pond. What do you think about the idea of connecting the sediment pond to the main pond by simply building a ditch and filling it with rip rap instead of using an overflow pipe?
What would you do differently it you were going to start over with your project today?
snrub, the shape of the head of the snake, looks like he is a poisonous snake? I don't like those roaming around @ night on my pond. But I do like your sediment pond.
Tracy
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
You can tell from the round pupils that is not a venomous snake. In the USA the only venomous snake with round pupils is the coral snake, and we can see this is not a coral snake.
basslover, I let a lot of the snakes on my place just slither away, I am not a snake hater but when I first looked at snrubs picture, the shape of the head looked triangular and that is the first thing I look for when seeing a snake I am not familiar with. I never looked @ the eyes and usually don't plan on getting close enough to look into their eyes lol
Tracy
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
snrub, remind us again the utility of the salt block in the pond? I bought water softener salt last night and saw the salt block there and I thought I remembered someone on the forum discussing the idea of putting a salt block in the pond.
I noticed the head shape in the picture also but it is because the snake has it's jaw unlocked trying to swallow the frog. I see these snakes occasionally around the pond but mostly in the seasonal creek behind the pond catching stuff in the pools of water. Having that stream right behind the dam I see a lot of different critters like snakes and turtles coming and going between BOW's.
snrub, remind us again the utility of the salt block in the pond? I bought water softener salt last night and saw the salt block there and I thought I remembered someone on the forum discussing the idea of putting a salt block in the pond.
Probably no utility whatsoever. It was just a whim. In the ocean scuba diving I see certain species of fish "flash" on various things like sponges presumably to rid parasites. I wondered if BG would be attracted to or otherwise utilize the salt block. As far as I could observe from my dock, no. After a week the block either disappeared under the FA or dissolved. I could no longer see it. Thanks for reminding me to report my findings.
I am seriously considering adding a sediment pond to each of the two swales bringing water to the main pond. What do you think about the idea of connecting the sediment pond to the main pond by simply building a ditch and filling it with rip rap instead of using an overflow pipe?
What would you do differently it you were going to start over with your project today?
Bill D.
Don't see why the ditch would not work well, although eventually the rock will fill in with sediment.
My use of the pipe was mostly the result of my small differential in pond elevations and a way of slowing down the water entering the main pond during average rain events. During really big rain events most of the water goes over the 12' wide emergency spillway. Had I more elevation or horizontal distance to work with, no doubt things would have been done different. Very important to remember I'm no engineer. Just a farmer with 40+ year experience working with water flow in field terraces and waterways along with a bulldozer and too much time on my hands. Stuff I do is done redneck farmer style, not professionally.
Very important to remember I'm no engineer. Just a farmer with 40+ year experience working with water flow in field terraces and waterways along with a bulldozer and too much time on my hands. Stuff I do is done redneck farmer style, not professionally.
LOL I grew up on a small farm in Indiana. Redneck farmer style is the only way I know to do things as well!
You might be right but I don't think so. A year or so ago I had the same concerns and as I recall my research resulted in calling the snakes diamondback water snakes. At any rate I think the chance of getting bitten would be slim to none. Saw this same snake on the other side of this tiny pre-sediment pond 20 minutes later stalking another frog. I tried to get close to get a picture of the capture but the snake would have nothing of it. Dove deep into the water and away it went. I could only get so close before because it had the frog locked in its mouth trying get to swallow it. I've never seen these snakes very big. This one under 3'.
Also the head does not look triangular when they are not swallowing something. I'll look more closely when I run across another one though. Thanks for the concern.
snrub, I am sure u know your land and your critters. Me, in my part of the country, if I see a short 3 footer and that triangular head and he is eating my frogs, he most likely be a dead snake. I want frogs and not short triangular shaped headed snakes lol
Tracy
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
). They surely had a lot to do as far as encouragement for me to try my hand at small ponds supplementing my main pond. But I'll have to say I did not fully appreciate them till I saw them in person at 
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