I am starting a project to clean out a silted 2 acre pond. I do not know it's age as I just purchased the property. The pond is feed by run off from about 30 acres and has a spring that flows enought to keep it from freezing in 15 degree weather. The pond has a 24" metal standpipe that creats a pool in the pond that is 5' below the spillway. The top of the dam is 5' above the spillway.
I recieved a bid from a contractor and his plan was to trench through dam spillway to drain it. I have been reading about the syphon system from Pond Dam Piping. The dam is very stable and established and I am concerned about trenching to drain it. Would the syphon be a solution to drain the pond? What are the pros and cons?