Pond seepage - 05/10/21 08:50 PM
Hey guys
Somewhat new to the forum.
Lurked some but that’s about it.
Pond question..
I have about a six acre pond.
The project went much longer and was much larger than initially anticipated.
Basically my pond guy screwed up. I told him what I wanted, he eyeballed it and bid the job about half what is was worth.
Good news for me I guess, except I am afraid it probably put my job down on his priority list.
The dam is a beast.
Pond is probably 40 feet in some spots.
Was taking forever to fill.
So, being the impatient soul that I am, we decided to pump from the river.
Was working beautifully.
Got about 6-8 feet from the top of the riser and the water started pouring out the backside.
Multiple breaches.
The entire part of the dam that they filled last was pouring out water.
Contractor was not present for this portion.
Left it with “his guys”.
Anyway. He comes out, cores the dam way down past the leak to clay, 15 feet wide, packs it in and wa-lah. No more leaks.
So I’m out there today and notice areas at the bottom of the dam that are quite moist even a couple trickles of water. I should specify these areas are in a different part of the dam. 50 yards or so away from the original area of concern.
I don’t know if this is still water runoff from recent rains, or possibly more seeping.
My question is this...
Is there such a thing as an “acceptable” amount of seepage.
Even when water was pouring out the backside there was no noticeable drop in water level.
Is a small amount of seeping ok?
Is it possible the dam will seal over time, or is it more likely the leaking, if it is that, will get worse?
The water coming out is clear if that matters.
The bottom is clay. The dam is mostly clay as well but does have some shale mixed in....
Happy to answer any specific questions about my scenario.
I’ll hang up and listen.
Thanks
Somewhat new to the forum.
Lurked some but that’s about it.
Pond question..
I have about a six acre pond.
The project went much longer and was much larger than initially anticipated.
Basically my pond guy screwed up. I told him what I wanted, he eyeballed it and bid the job about half what is was worth.
Good news for me I guess, except I am afraid it probably put my job down on his priority list.
The dam is a beast.
Pond is probably 40 feet in some spots.
Was taking forever to fill.
So, being the impatient soul that I am, we decided to pump from the river.
Was working beautifully.
Got about 6-8 feet from the top of the riser and the water started pouring out the backside.
Multiple breaches.
The entire part of the dam that they filled last was pouring out water.
Contractor was not present for this portion.
Left it with “his guys”.
Anyway. He comes out, cores the dam way down past the leak to clay, 15 feet wide, packs it in and wa-lah. No more leaks.
So I’m out there today and notice areas at the bottom of the dam that are quite moist even a couple trickles of water. I should specify these areas are in a different part of the dam. 50 yards or so away from the original area of concern.
I don’t know if this is still water runoff from recent rains, or possibly more seeping.
My question is this...
Is there such a thing as an “acceptable” amount of seepage.
Even when water was pouring out the backside there was no noticeable drop in water level.
Is a small amount of seeping ok?
Is it possible the dam will seal over time, or is it more likely the leaking, if it is that, will get worse?
The water coming out is clear if that matters.
The bottom is clay. The dam is mostly clay as well but does have some shale mixed in....
Happy to answer any specific questions about my scenario.
I’ll hang up and listen.
Thanks