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Joined: Jan 2006
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Lunker
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Well, in a few more weeks, the Land Improvement Contractors (Dirt Workers -- for me and mine) expect to start clearing the back 10 acres for the hay pasture and Pecan Tree Orchard, then they will start on the .3 acre (maybe .5 acre) and .5 acre ponds. The ponds will be mostly excavations, which makes me happy, because I want to build up the whole front of the property for the house and barn, along with increasing the size of the water shed for the ponds. My soon-to-be formally significant other has informed me that she and the children we don't have yet need more 4' swimming area, than the 4', 6', and 8' depths I was planning for both ponds. At least, I don't have to put my foot down on an expensive and high maintenance money pit of a swimming pool. For the .5 acre Catfish pond, I'll go with a 3:1 slope to 8', everywhere. No spawning depths needed and I could increase the size of the pond, with 4' and 6' depths, later, if I wish. Both ponds will have 3:1 slopes. For the HSB, CNBG, and RE .3 acre (maybe .5 acre) pond, behind the house, I'll go with half at 4' and half at 8' depths. I plan to cover the whole 4' area with pea gravel. For this, I got the compromise of no swimming, until the water reaches 80F in the Spring. I'm still worried about disrupting the CNBG spawns, but compromise is what marriage is. Hey, at least she is enthusiastic about moving out of Houston and into the sticks. Well, it's the new house and all the decorating potential that probably really got her interest. We'll see what happens, when I have to get ornery about more than a weekly trip to the grocery store or other shopping. Stay tuned for pix updates to this thread, as construction starts and progresses...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Hmmm... soon I'll need to change my signature tag...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Is 6" deep enough for the pea gravel bed on the 4' deep end?
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Bigmac I assume congratulations are in order. Look at these pics to give you an idea of what you are looking for. No need to cover the whole shelf 6in. deep. Make depressions and add a shovel of gravel to each.
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That makes sense. I must admit that, at first, I was wondering how those sticks got on the moon. I sure am glad Todd Overton pointed me to this forum. A year ago, some of my ideas would have ended up being costly mistakes to fix later. I'm reminded of one of the things my grandfather used to tell me. "A dumb man makes a mistake, then goes out and makes the same mistake, again. A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, then never makes the same mistake, again. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, so he never makes those mistakes in the first place."
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Lunker
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Hello, I have some questions.
1. How do you size the primary drain pipe you put through the dam, below the emergency spillway?
1a. For a.5 acre pond is a 6" diameter pipe sufficient?
1b. I assume I should run it down and beyond the backside of the dam, so I don't erode the back side of the dam?
1c. I'm planning the primary overflow pipe to be about 1 foot, below the emergency spillway. Is that copasetic?
2. My place is between Coldspring and New Waverly, Texas, off HWY 150. Where can I find about a 6' diameter 20' foot long fiberglass culvert to put in a dry creek to get to my future back pond, hay field, and Pecan orchard? Other materials/ideas will work, too.
Thanks In Advance...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: May 2004
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
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Drain pipe size is based upon watershed acreage, annual rainfall, (IMO how heavily the rainfall is concentrated or spread out over the year), and other (lesser) facts like available space above the pipe before the dam would over run. Local NRCS office is a great place to have this calculated if they are cooperative (reportedly some are, some aren't). Texans near you could help you figure it out the best, but will need your watershed size.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Thanks Theo, I feel I have some good land improvement contractors working on this overflow pipe, but now I know what to think about and look for.
I just found a 34 foot long x 7 foot diameter x .25 inch thick fuel storage tank to put in the creek to get to the back of the property to build the back pond. $50.00 a foot and delivered for $125.00. I hope to get it delivered this Saturday.
With all the rain in East Texas, it may be too wet for the dirt workers to get in there. I am hoping the front will be dry enough to at least get that pond done, soon.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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If your ponds are mostly excavations built on gently sloping terrain with small water shed you most likely don't need a pipe. if you decide to use a pipe 6 inches is too small because it will tend to clough up. The NRCS in my area uses 12 inch PVC with seep collers for smaller water sheds. If your only talking about 10 to 20 acre watershed this should be more than adequate. I installed 18 inch ADS plastic pipe in my pond it was cheaper than the 12 inch pvc. Good luck
The road goes on forever and the party nevers end...............................................
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bigmac:
WOW! $1825...I got a "pipe" 5.5 feet diameter, 22 feet long, 5/8" thick, delivered to my door for $150. That included diesel for the truck to haul it.
Course, it was work surplus, actually a retread curing chamber and I had to torch off the door, the end and remove all the light metal shields. Made a perfect culvert, but I couldn't have justified any REAL cash for it, like you.
In a lifetime, the average driver will honk 15,250 times. My wife figures I'm due to die any day now...
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That's cheap! The 5'5" tank was $40.00 a foot. I won't have to do any thing, but get them into the hole and fill it. The other deal I was looking at was an 8' dia. x 30' long /5 inch thick steel tank car for $145.00 a foot. They wanted $435.00 delivery.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Well, I ended up with an 8' diameter x 27' long x 5/16" thick carbon steel storage tank for my culvert at $60.00 a foot. Now, I won't have restriction in the creek that will cause both ponds to get flooded with overflow from the creek.
Now, the problem is that the drought has ended in the area, with over 12" of rain in 24 hours, 6" about 3 days later, then over 8", today, which is about 2 weeks from the last rain. I doubt they will be able to get in there with the dozers and excavator any time, soon. Clearing needs to be done to shoot the grades and figure out the size and best palcement of the ponds, plus figuring out where to put he dirt for the future house and barn. I'm bummed out, because, if the ponds could have gotten built, before these last 3 rains, they would be full now and I would be stocking fish. It looks like Southeast Texas is in for cold, wet winter.
Such is life...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Well, it's still raining, so no digging, yet. I have had the spare time, so I have created one heck of a Visio drawing. Oh well, at least the dirt workers and I will have a pretty picture to discuss, when the time comes.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Because all the rain is giving me the time, I am doing a couple of different drawings in Microsoft Visio. I'm designing my plan for the whole 14 acres, but right now working on the vision I will show to the dirt workers.
Since this pond is mostly an excavation, I can save money if we move less dirt. For a .5 acre pond, I am thinking about half of it at 4 feet and half of it at 8 feet. If we determine I can go up to a .75 acre pond, then I am thinking about a third at 4', a third at 6', and a third at 8'. Y'all's thoughts?
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Still not dried out enough to dig a pond, but I have quit beating myself up, by counting the days, since I bought the place. The Conference was great. I still chuckle at how lively and animated, well, passionate Bill Cody, Greg Grimes, and many, many others are about what they do for a living. Loving your job is so very, very important. The Conference has made me think about things with different perspectives, which is good, but confusing. I have a budget, but I also want to avoid re-work, later, which actually blows the budget, anyway. My most recurring questions are: do I need a primary overlfow pipe that takes water from the bottom, if I am aerating a .5 to .75 acre pond? Is it sufficient to just take the excess overflow off the top, through a primary pipe, with an emergency overflow a foot above the top of the primary? It could save me some money to spend on the aeration if I do this from the top, with seepage collars, of course. Thanks in Advance...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,513 Likes: 272
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,513 Likes: 272 |
BigMac you can have a top flow pipe with a connection collar on the lake side end and that will let you add more pipe when needed to go down into the water. The thing to think about and the problem with a straight top flow pipe is that you lose your best water and plankton bloom through it. Even if your top flow pipe only goes down 3 ft into the water that is a big improvement. It all depends on your pond and goals and its water flow through characteristics.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Good point. I knew I was missing something. Plankton Bloom out the overlow. Not want I want.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Pond 8' deep at the dam... About this primary overflow, can I use ADS (plastic) corrugated (ribbed) pipe? How would I attach the vertical piece to the horizontal piece to pull the water from about 2' off the bottom?. How would I anchor the vertical piece? If I need to run behind the dam more that 30', how do I connect two lengths of pipe together, end-to-end?
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Jan 2005
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The ADS is available in a water tight model "WT" each joint has a belled end with rubber gasket. You greese the heck out of it and simple slide the joints together. They manufacture this stuff in Ennis texas, that's were I bought mine. You can find them on the web they have many elbows, tees, etc.
The road goes on forever and the party nevers end...............................................
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Thanks! I saw that place on my way to the Pond Boss Conference, up I45. Sounds like another good road trip for my dirt guru and me. I wouldn't mind hurting myself with lots more of that Woody's BBQ and Jerky Meat in Centerville, either. Overton's Fish Farm is on the way, too. Now, if it will just give me a break on the rain for about a month or two...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 168
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rockytopper, that's for straight-end connections, right? They sell an ADS Tee to attach 3 straights?
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,239
Lunker
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Lunker
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They will have everything you need make sure you pick the "WT" product line. The salesman you need to talk too is Chris Lewis 214-802-3316 good luck http://www.ads-pipe.com/en/product.asp?productID=226
The road goes on forever and the party nevers end...............................................
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rockytopper, Thanks! They really have a cool web site. I found the products. I also gave them my information and submitted an engineering request. I also found a local building supply that carries the ADS products, in case I can't make time to get to Ennis, when the time comes.
Thanks Again...
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 168
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Well, Saturday morning, we looked at the site and felt another week of good drying weather would have us building the pond. Then we got almost another 3" of the wet stuff, by Sunday night.
Oh well, at least, by now, I know where all my drainage issues are and how water flows over every square foot of the property. It makes the plan better. I am no longer worried about not having enough watershed for the .5 to .75 acre pond. We can do some contouring to pick up another 5 acres of watershed, too.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Finally, a pond and other dirt work begins! I hope I don't jinx myself, but the weather is looking good -- hot and windy, with very little rain. They are starting on the dirt work this week. I'm still not sure the water table is below 8', but there's one best way to find out.
--Kevin Mc It's not about the stomach. It's about the fish. Take care of the fish and the stomach will be fine.
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