Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help How far can you pump water from?

Just had a pond built in Michigan and waiting for it to fill naturally. No idea how log it will take. A big lake is about 1000 feet away. Can you pump water that far with a pump you can rent at a rental place? Wonder if that have that much hose and what it would cost if possible?

Patrick, how big and deep is the pond, and how big is the watershed? We should be able to give you a good idea on whether it will fill by Spring or not.

Where are you thinking of pumping water from (ground well, another pond/lake, running stream)? Give details as to vertical rise required, if possible.

Sorry new to this pond stuff and the lingo. I believe watershed is the area around the pond to draw water from correct? I do not know if I have any watershed as the pond is layered all the way around with clay and it seems only rain or melted snow will fill it.

Pond is about 2 acres right now and 20 feet deep at its deepest point. The water in ir right now came from one day of rain with .63 in of rain. Is probably 6 feet deep there. Other end is shallower but has some drop offs that you can not see in the pic.

http://www.pwcfun.com/Pond-Pic-4-beach.jpg

Thinking of pumping water from a lake that is 900-1000 feet away and probably 5-10 feet below the pond. That is if I have any problems with mother nature doing the job. Just thining and wondering if you can pump that far and how long it would take. Have to assume by spring it would be halfway full.

If I did the math right, assuming that you didn't have any run-off into the pond, and the pond is a true 2 acres, then that .63" of rain you had equals 34,215 gallons of water. Northern Tool has a 3" semi-trash pump that pumps 15,000 gallons per hour at 0 head. The big question is how many gpm will it lose pumping up that incline, how to run the hose (I'd use a 20' piece of 3" flex to 4" belled abs drain pipe) and whether you can let the pump run down at the lake for an extended length of time without someone a) stealing it or b) complaining about it.

remember...you will get more than just water

That may depend on the size of the inlet screen...... It's still got to go thru the impeller as well. I have heard that the lowly GSF can do some amazing things tho! I'm duckin' and running now!

The watershed is the area from which precipitation will run off of and enter the pond. Unless you built the pond on the top of a hill, it likely has some watershed area.

Do you have electricity available? An electric powered pump (a fire pump comes to mind) will deliver 1500 gpm-2000 gpm or more. Grass growers have these types of pumps. If not, I would suggest renting a 4" gasoline powered "ditch pump" and babysitting it with a lot of gasoline on hand and discharging through a 4" pipe. 1000' through anything smaller than 4" will be useless.

Well it appears that it could be done (move water that distance) with the right equipment. Wonder if the local rental place would have that much discharge hose without it costing a fortune.

From looking at weather channel.com we have reveived 1.5 inches of rain since the pond was dug. More since I have seen it last and what is shown in the pic. Will see it again this weekend. Average rainfall is 32 inches a year spread evenly throughout the year. Really just have to wait and see what happens by spring.

The property is not on a hill and has lots of sand. I think the sand would soak up the water pretty quickly around the pond.

If needing a pump it would have to be a gas one unless a pump can run off a generator.

Those trash pumps will be loud thus causing attention. I'd make sure there are no problems with taking water from the large lake.
I've heard that Michigan can be kind of tough with these situations.

Will check with proper people (and neighbors) if I have to go the pump route. Hopefully I will not.

We definately have no water problem in Michigan. The lake is really a river that forms 4 different lakes. They are constantly drooping it as the maintain a certian level of water. In te spring the dam is wide open from all the snow meltoff.

As well you should.

Rental place says to pump that distance I should use two 4 inch trash pumps with one at the beginning and one in the middle. Cost is $55 per day per pump and $100 for 1000 feet of hose. So $210 a day. Will pump 36,000 gal per hour.

Sounds like around 2 1/2 acre feet of water per day. If it's a pump like Northern has, it's mounted on a small trailer and runs $3,000.00 per pump.