Hello everyone, I’m new to the forum. My dad and I have a 1.5 acre pond and a 1 acre pond. My current issue is with the 1.5 acre pond. Well, I don’t yet have an issue, just looking to the future to prevent future problems. I apologize if the post includes a topic that should be in a specific sub forum. Moderators feel free to reprimand me if needed.

The details. Pond is 5 years old and is spring fed. The potential issue I have is that when the pond was dug, a corrugated poly 12 inch pipe was installed at about a 30° angle front to back. My worry is when this poly corrugated pipe cracks or fails, it will ruin my dam and/or drain the pond. Like most people, I don’t want to spend a ton of money to repair a future problem so I want to solve it before it happens. I have spent the summer fortifying the dam and adding approximately 2 feet to the elevation. I have made an emergency overflow do direct overflow to the undisturbed Bermuda covered side of the pond dam with a gradual slope.

Long story short, I want to plug this pipe and only have a “emergency” overflow as my only outlet. I know that may be a no no, however, if I run into erosion issues, after plugging, I plan on installing a horizontal pvc pipe with riprap and matting for erosion control. What is the best way to plug this pipe permanently so I don’t have to worry about it. Digging the pipe out makes me nervous because I really don’t want to take a chance on compromising the integrity of a super tight pond with no current issues. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks I’m advance.

Jase,

Check your corrugated 12" poly pipe again. Is it dual-wall 12" culvert? (It would look smooth on the inside, not corrugated.)

If it is dual-wall culvert, then that stuff is pretty tough. Further, even if it cracked, it should be mostly in packed clay. I think the preferred path of the water would still be down the pipe, rather than working around the outside of the pipe and washing out your dam.

Just my two cents. There are lots of actual dam building experts in the forum. Hopefully, one of them will come along and address your concerns.

Good luck!

Any way to cap the pipe? I do stuff like that often with PVC. You MIGHT be able to use a PVC cap and caulk or epoxy around it.

Sorry for the long gap in reply. I haven’t figured out how to subscribe to a thread. It is a single wall pipe. I could probably cap it. I just want it to be as permanent as possible.

Does the pipe show signs of degradation?

RAH

No, there is no sign of degradation, but I have been flexing the inlet end up and down slightly to regulate the level of the pond. Maybe 10 inches up and down.

If it is moving that much, it seems like the dam may not be packed properly around the pipe. Is the dam leaking around the outside of the pipe?