Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hole in dam

I bought a house in December on property in Northern Idaho. There is a .8 acre pond on the property. I have done a fair amount of research about stocking and maintenance, but decided to join this forum to try and get some more specific answers. The first project I want to tackle is fixing a good sized channel that has formed in the back of the bank. It is dropping the water level below where I would like it. All the soil here is clay, and ive been told the pond has been here for 50 years. Could I use sandbags, or should I figure out a way to get clay to the site? I will try to figure some pictures out... Thanks in advance. I have done a lot of reading on this forum, and everyone seems great.

Welcome to the forum, M10, and congrats on having a pond!!!

Is the "hole" you mention in the thread title a trench or is water flowing through the dam? If a trench, chances are it was created when the pond level topped the dam, or tree roots may have rotted and allowed a seep to erode through the dam till it finally collapsed. In either situation, I would not use temporary fixes like sand bags as a repair. The water level will have to be lowered in order to get equipment and quality clay tied in and compacted to rebuild the damaged area.

If your pond is 50+ years old and you are wanting to restock to suit your goals, it might be a great time to simply rebuild your dam and do all improvements you want. Look in the "Book Store" here and get Bob Lusk's book, "The Perfect Pond, Want one". It will be full of great ideas on building a pond that can give you much of the terminology needed and things to look for issues on your pond that may need to be addressed and repaired.

Pictures are always welcome in offering more specific advice or thoughts to you.

Rainman
Could that possibly be a spillway?

I also suggest Mike Otto's "Just Add Water". With those in your arsenal, you'll be better informed and prepared to be successful than probably most professional pond builders out there who think they know what they're doing.

Welcome to the forum - glad to see we are reaching Idaho!

Thanks for the quick responses! It way have been a spillway before, but eroded down too far. there is another outlet which has an old, broken down concrete dam and a bridge going over it. This outlet doesn't flow. I think the water thats escaping through the "hole" should be exiting the other outlet.

If possible get a couple of pictures. That will really give us something to work with,

A very common way "cattle ponds" were and still are built around here is to use a ravine and push up the dam with a dozer, then let the water level full pool be determined where the end of the dam slopes down to meet the natural land. The "spillway" is nothing more than the existing pasture.

You can drive around this area and see many of these old ponds from 25 and more years old where this overflow area has eroded and the pond water level is now 2-3' lower than it originally was.

If that happens to be your problem, it is a fairly easy fix with a dozer. Just dig out the wash, layer in and pack the clay and create a new spillway beside it. Or better yet just install a good pipe for the overflow at the proper water level and create a new emergency spillway at an elevation above the pipe a little further down the dam beyond the new repair area.

When I refurbished my old pond I made this same type of spillway, only I lined it with rock so it would not wash out. Now I am thinking about digging out the rock and putting in a pipe overflow and at the same time raising the pond level another foot. I have good height to the dam I rebuilt and will have good clay available from another pond I'm planning on building later this summer nearby to patch and extend the dam.