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#139727 11/28/08 10:19 PM
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Hi there, I'm brand new to your site, but I've been reading as much as I can since I found you guys 3 weeks ago! I sure wish I had this resource when i started, but I think I'm ok for the most part but I don't have water yet. I want to give you all a small tour of the work so far and hope to get a few suggestions on the next steps!

The pond is going to be about 3.5 acres when its full with about 60 drainage acres.




Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/13/08 05:51 PM.

Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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Once we decided to build a lake, I had a guy shoot the boundries through the timber and brush it all out with a dozer. The natural ravine was a lot flatter than I expected and that make the pond bigger than I expected! Here's the results of some of the brushing work.

[/img]



Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/13/08 05:21 PM.

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After I had the brush cleared and set a few more flags, I sold all the remaining trees and had them cut to help offset the costs.



I then spent the next whole summer cutting firewood and burning brush. It was a huge job but enjoyable. I think I hauled somehwere around 50-60 facecords of oak tops out. I focused on the oak and hickory and by the time I got it all out I couldn't take it anymore and I had the remaining hackberry, elm, locust etc...piled and burned.



The turkeys and deer enjoyed the clover I planted up where the top of the future dam was going to be.

[/img]

Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/13/08 05:35 PM. Reason: pictures disappeared, added more

Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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After I got the 4 huge piles burned off several times, I had saved enough money to have the dam built but then we had the summer of rain....but come October the dirt was finally moving. You can see my 1 acre food plot in the west behind the dozer.

[/URL]

This is my wife checking out the progress on the dam.






Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/13/08 05:58 PM.

Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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The dozer guy really got moving and just about finished the whole dam in one week. Here's some more progress photos:

This is the south shore.



The Northeast corner and dam face.



The face of the dam with the truck for perspective.



Northwest shore



Top of the dam with black dirt spread on the back side and top.



Backside of dam





Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/14/08 12:54 PM.

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This is a cool before and after view of the food plot with the dam site in the background.





Last edited by Midwest Dave; 12/14/08 12:58 PM.

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Now all I need is some time to get my dock built and put some structure in. I saw some great ideas on here about that and I've got some cedar and hedge on the property that should help. I also might try and roll some of the stumps back into the lake bottom, wire them all together and make a reef. Can't wait to get working on it!


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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Looking good



wivell #139739 11/29/08 07:13 AM
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thanks for the pictures

otto #139745 11/29/08 10:13 AM
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Hey MW Dave! Welcome to the fount of all things pondly.
Yep, our projects are pretty similar. I look at your pics and it's a flashback of about 3 years.
You're in the right church, and surely sitting in the correct pew when you landed at Pond Boss.

Brettski #139747 11/29/08 10:55 AM
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Thanks Brettski, I looked at your pictures and started thinking about wood duck houses. I've got a small flooded timber section on the north shore. I imagine I'll need three layers of predator guards for all the raccoons I've got! (Did you ever get them put in???).


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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I had a friend tell me I should lime the bottom of my pond because its in the middle of my timber. I've read that the leaves can make it too acidic. What do you guys think? Could I get away with some lime riprap in the feeder fingers infront of the dry dams, or....?


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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Congratulations on your success. I know how frustrating it can be to get it all done, but in a very short time, you'll look back and wonder at the changes you created. Then when friends come out to your place, they will give you that "look" when you tell them what it used to look like before you made all the changes. It's fun to get that look because you know they don't have a clue in what it takes to accomplish what you have done!!!!

Eddie


Lake Marabou http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=139488&fpart=1

It's not how many ideas you have, but how many you make happen.

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Thanks for the photos and explanation, Dave. That is going to be a great pond. You will need some lime spread. Ask the local ag folks how much per acre. You will need a slightly alkaline pond. 2-3 tons per acre unless you have pines, then more. This is the perfect time to get the spreader truck in.

Have your soil tested.

Last edited by burgermeister; 11/29/08 12:43 PM.

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Thanks Burgermeister, guess my old friend Charlie was right. I'm already getting some water in the bottom, I'll have to figure out how to get it in there.


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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Thanks Eddie, I get "that look" all the time - but usually when I've got help with me. I just can't figure out how someone can get tired when there's still daylight left!


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You can spread it in the watershed if it's too wet in the pond basin. The lime needs timne to break down, so your pond will be right this spring.


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 Originally Posted By: Midwest Dave
I just can't figure out how someone can get tired when there's still daylight left!

It IS harder to do this time of year. Sometimes I get cold before dark.


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
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Updated pictures, added a few.


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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Well, we had snow, then ice, then about 1.5 inches of rain and the pond filled up! Now if I could only find the rest of the pond?!? I basically only found 2 of my 3 acres!



The right side of the dam in this picture is higher than the one on left. The emergency spillway is on the left, but the pipe is too low.



Another view of the dam and exposed shoreline.




I put 8 bags of concrete and some stone around the pipe to hold it in place for now. I hope to raise the dam some later on and put in an elbow there. Anyones advice on raising the water level would be greatly appreciated! I plan to let the dam settle a few months before taking any action. The dam has a 4:1 backside and there seems to be plenty of material around the edges to build it up some. I would like to raise it another 3-4 feet to take advantage of the flat fingers I have on the edges in my original design.



I have a call into the guy who did my dozing work, I hope he works with me on this.

Last edited by Midwest Dave; 01/05/09 05:30 PM.

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Midwest Dave, It's gonna be a beautiful pond when your done.
When your building it sometimes it seems like it's never gonna be done, and the pictures will remind you of all the work that it took, but you'll never regret it. ;\)
Are you planning on pumping water from the stream or just runoff from surrounding acreage ?

Last edited by adirondack pond; 01/05/09 11:07 PM.


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Thanks Adirondack, the water comes from 60 drainage acres, and since it filled in one month, I don't think I'll have to worry about it. \:\)

Any thoughts on how you would raise the dam height?


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Good to see you should have enough drainage to keep the pond full.
I wouldn't give you an opinion on raising dam height, there are alot of knowledgeable people on this site who can help you.
Otto seems to be the expert here, you might send him a PM and ask for advice. Good luck and keep the pictures coming.



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Dave, pretty setting and I admire your determination. Are the trees behind your dam far enough away? Is there a rule of thumb when it comes to distance that trees should be away from the dam? I bet your pond becomes a magnet for all the wildlife in the area.

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Thanks P.Buckley, I think I have one hackberry that might be too close, but it will most likely die since its partially covered up. No idea about how far away the trees should be, I'm a rookie!

Yes, its my hope that the deer, turkeys and ducks will make this a year around home!


Midwest Dave, 3.5 acre lake, 47 acres timber & CRP.
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