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Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forum. I just completed my pond build last November and the information I got, from the experts on this forum, was extremely helpful. So thank you for that. Below you will find a little background information concerning my pond and current situation. Hopefully you guys can put me on the right track to get this issue fixed. I will provide photos when I figure out how to get them less than 2MB.
The pond is located in northwest Indiana and is approximately 3/4 acre. Water source is a small creek that only flows when it rains. The pond captures water from approximately 45 acres. I constructed a dam using heavy clay sourced on site. The dam is 40 feet wide at the base, 20 feet wide at the top, and approximately 40 feet in length. From the top of the dam to the bottom of the creek is approximately 12 feet.
The over flow consists of a 48inch catch basin with a 36 inch offset cone attached. Connected to the bottom of this catch basin is a 12" black plastic pipe. Pipe is double wall (smooth on the inside, corrugated on the outside). The pipe travels under the dam for 40 feet and the empties into the creek bed.
An inspection of the pond yesterday revealed a wet spot at the bottom of the dam. The spot is adjacent to the pipe and is approximately 24" square. I'm not seeing any noticeable creep or erosion. No flowing water yet..
I was considering extending the pipe another 5 feet and pouring a 12" thick retaining wall, with wings, maybe 4 feet high. Then backfill with more heavy clay. I would also drain the pond and use bentonite on the front side to help seal it. My thought is that the wall, if built correctly, would stop creep and erosion of the dam. I'm really trying to avoid digging the dam.
I welcome your thoughts and recommendations.
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