Try an inner tube. Inflate until tight. It might just work or use it as a dam while you figure out something more permanent. Just a minute of my thoughts!
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
With no input as to whether or not it would be a good idea, you could stack Quikrete bags instead of sandbags or pouring concrete. They will conform to the curves (like sandbags) but will harden in place and (if you use enough depth) lock together fairly well to resist water pushing them.
Warning: Handling enough 60 pound Quikrete bags may lead to your introduction to the Double Hernia Robotic Surgeon. For me, 5 pallets of Quikrete were enough.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
Consider installing a stoplog structure (flashboard riser) on the inlet side of the culvert, perhaps with steel channel and removable boards. Commercially available ones in that size might break the bank, so you may want to build your own. The trick will be sealing things up, but expanding wood is pretty good at that. This kind of set up lets you control the water level by adding or removing boards.
I am not an expert but, if the pipe is that big, maybe it needs to be so water will not go over the road in a large rain event. With that in mind, you should keep what ever you are going to block the water with to have an opening with the same square footage as the pipe. So if you have a 5 foot pipe you should probably have a 5 foot box type riser. It should be sized by what your 100 year rain event is for your water shed is.
...Seriously, I'd be very hesitant to partially block that drain. It would strain the surrounding soils holding it in place.
That was my thought as well. Moving water is consistent, relentless, and predictable. The two erosion areas near the 5' pipe inlet would concern me, and I'd look at their impact on a partially blocked pipe that raises the water level immediately around it. Looks like eddy's may form there and create another potential problem.
Keep us in the loop, interesting scenario.
Last edited by FireIsHot; 02/26/2011:43 AM. Reason: ADD
I second the suggestion of a flashboard riser system. Using that you will still have full flow through the culvert pipe in case of a large rain event, but you can adjust the level of the pond as you wish.
Using the precast images, you probably can drain the pond down a bit, form one up on-site and pour in place. Use tongue and grooved boards for the "boards" but to span the 5' width, they might want to bow inward. If it was mine, I'd do a "pour on site" style, utilizing a brace in the center of reinforced concrete, so you have two boards side by side, each covering a 2 1/2' wide opening. You could use some thin foam on the bottom of the groove to help seal it and also along the back (downstream) side of the boards. Put a double eye hook (upstream and downstream) at the top center of each board that will give you a handle to put a hook in to pull them up to let water out if needed.
What about something along this line. Could be aiming up and buried also. I dont know how geometry works so not sure if the volume would be the same or not. Just brain storming here.
What about something along this line. Could be aiming up and buried also. I dont know how geometry works so not sure if the volume would be the same or not. Just brain storming here.
That is harder to regulate the water level vs. using a flashboard riser system where you add/remove boards to regulate the water height in the pond. A flashboard riser system typically uses 2" by (insert your board width here) and they can be slid in or out to regulate the height/depth of the water in the pond. Want the water higher? Slide in another board. Want to drop the level? Remove as many boards as you wish.