Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam New Pond Construction In Jefferson Co, Mo.

I wish you luck. I bought a sheep's foot roller for my newest projects. You may be OK depending on local conditions. I have a new wetland on top of a hill full of water in a drought due to proper compaction. It all depends on input vs, loss.

Looks good Bob! Glad to see so much progress! We had a lot of trouble with the sheepsfoot roller on my pond. The rock really plays havoc with them. Don't know if it helped or not. I've got a pretty minor leak, no evidence of where it's coming out.
You'll be ready for some September rains..
Jeff

Thanks Guys.Jeff,I can see where the rocks would be a lot of trouble.The larger ones would probably be getting stuck between the pads and I would think it might cause uneven pressure.But I'm no pro that's for sure.lol!From the pictures you've posted,I would say my dirt is around as rocky as yours,maybe a little more or less.If my pond looks anywhere near as good as yours,I'll be more than happy!

They are hoping to finish today,should I seed right away or wait for rain?

Hello friends, happy to join the forum. I'm planning on purchasing an eight acre home site that has high bluffs and several low slopping area my builders thinks would be a great location for my pond . I need someone to speak with to form a checklist of things to consider before purchasing the property within the next couple of weeks. I'm in the north florida area. Thanks for any input and suggested contacts you can provide. I think this forum is just the thing I need to assist me in my very first pond project.
All the best,
Crownfish100

Welcome Crownfish. Look at this link.

http://www.pondboss.com/item.asp?id=11&r=store%3Fc%3D8

and this thread

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92487#Post92487

Seed and straw cover before rain. Rain will cause seed to germinate.

Thanks for responding so fast...... Super I will look into those resources. Does anyone know a ole school pond builder in the North Florida or South Georgia area. I hoping to work with someone who can assist me in the project, I want to be hands on.
Thanks again everyone.
Crownfish100

Thanks John,they finished today and told me to get it down asap!

They finished yesterday and everything looks great to me.If it holds water I'll be 100% happy with the job they did.lol!He said it should be about 3/4 acre and it is 19' deep at the deepest spot.To me it looks like it is over 12' in the middle almost the whole way down the length.I'm going to try and measure the width and length myself to get a better idea of the size.Anybody have any tips on doing that?I picked up a bunch of seed today and he told me to get some rolls of straw matting for the back of the dam to help get things growing sooner so I'll try and do that tomorrow and try to get everything seeded this week.I'll try to get more pictures posted tomorrow also.

With this weather you should have no problem getting seed to take on the dam - include some rye in the blend to allow for a nice solid root before winter hits, it'll make overseeding next spring easier. Rent a straw spreader if you're in a rush

Here is some of the back of dam.

Some more.

Little sediment pond.

Very nice Bob and thanks for the pictures. I was looking at the back side of the dam, you are very close to the paved road. If the dam breached that road would certainly be gone! I'm surprised that let you build the dam so close to the road. But I'm sure if the dam is built right and there is a proper spillway and emergency overflow of some type that the road should be safe for ever right?

Thanks, it wouldn't be a good thing if it broke. Lol!A round here I see a lot of them like that, even closer and bigger than mine.

Looks great Bob. You didn't seem to encounter too much rock. Not nearly as much as I did! Now you just need a little moisture. Right after you get the seed down.
Good luck with the seeding. Just a FYI, don't put the grass matts down below the expected water levels. I did where I thought it would be running in too fast. The grass part of the mat dissolved and the netting was left. It acted as a gill net on my GSH..

Canyon, we have VERY few regulations or restrictions on ponds in Missouri, in non-zoned counties. Unless a dam height from natural ground level exceeds 32' in height, or I think, volume exceeds 60 acre feet of water (points where Federal code apply), no regulations exist or permits needed in non-zoned MO counties

Thanks Jeff,not a lot of large rocks but it is probably rockier than it looks in the pictures.I'm only using the straw mat rolls on the back of the dam.I bought 5 rolls that are 8' X 112'.I started them today and they are a real pain,and wish I hadn't got them.I slide down the dam more times than I care to say,along with everything I was using.It was so dry and dusty.I worked on it all day and only got 3 rolls down and I still need to put a lot of staples in them.Looks like the 5 rolls isn't going to be enough to cover the whole back of the dam so I'm going to just use straw for the rest.They are calling for a little rain here Friday and Saturday so I'm hoping to have everything seeded by then.

I just recently completed a new dam. Shut the dozer off when it started raining at 10AM and got 6" that night which nearly filled the 2 acre pond. No cover or seed down. We re-smoothed the dam and I put down wheat/fescue/millet and straw. Another couple heavy rains including 4" put water out the emergency spillway which bunched up the straw and cut some divets. I replanted it and had the dozer track the straw into the soil as best he could. If it happens again I will look into using the straw mat rolls. Point is I would use the best you have (straw mats) on the emergency spillway slope.

My pond is is west central MO and have had over 12" rain since the dam was finished. I'll try to send some your way.

I put down a lot of seed (wheat and fescue) I didn't use any of the matts on the back of the dam. The dozers had gone up and down vertically and left nice little notches for seed to set into. I threw straw down on top, and up it all came. Have not had any washing issues in three years. I've got small trees starting at the base now.
This Sunday:

Thank guys,I finish the back of the dam today.For the back I used tall fescue and some quick stuff that is 90% annual rye.Everything on the water side will get a mix of the quick stuff(rye),buck oats,wheat and some tall fescue added to the areas above the water line.I also got some shade mix for a few areas that get almost no sun.
I could be wrong,but I think it's going to be a long time before I see water out my spillway.I only have about 7 acres of water shed.

Here is a picture of the finish back of dam.I ended up getting 1 more roll and still came up a little short so I just finished it up with straw.

Looking better every pic, Bobbss!!

I'd strongly suggest winter wheat,buck oats and annual rygrass mixtures in the pond basin as well!! This will almost eliminate muddying water and greatly reduce erosion if a few bigger rain events happen, plus as the pond fills and you add FHM and other forage bases, those decaying grasses provide a huge buffet of food for little fish!

Thanks Rainman,not sure what kind of wheat it is but it was the only kind I could find.lol!I am putting it,the buck oats and the fast blend which is 90% annual rye grass in the whole basin but heavier on the sides.I figured the sides need it more and a lot of it will wash down to the bottom any way.I'm adding the tall fescue to the parts above the water line but I'm sure a lot is going lower to.