It has been a long time, but I didn't completely give up on this project. Just got delayed some.
The contractor whose engineer drew up the plans for this, kept putting me off, wouldn't even give a quote for the cost. Each time I'd call, the number of jobs he told me were ahead of me kept growing, but he would always promise to get to it in a month or two. lol
I finally gave up on him and got the first contractor I contacted, to take the job. I think the engineer's plans helped this time, because he is a one man operation, and it is a bit overwhelming to plan everything from scratch.
I hope it's OK to start back at the beginning. This pond is rather isolated, and most of the work on this project involved widening the road to the dam so large trucks could get in. This included replacing some old culverts with longer ones. The contractor had 2 track loaders.
NancyGa...please don't stress on post size....you really can't give too much info!!! And we LOVE the pics!! I sent you a private message on siphon installations....they are part science and part art...for 5 acres, you'll want it done right!! Especially since you will likely need to breach part of the damn to seal off the old culvert drain that has rusted. You have a real gem there and as an investment, it should be kept as viable as possible.....a leaking or ugly pond can hammer the value of a property, or really increase the value when pristine with lots of life in it! Bodies of water like yours usually become the centers of most activity on the property.
Since you said you are still needing the drain repaired, and considering adult fish are difficult to source at times (I have some sources) and are much more costly than smaller fish...You may find it is easier, and less expensive to kill off the pond and start over. It will lower costs on pipe repair and siphon installation as well...plus, you will know what is in your water....Crappie are quite often destroyers of a pond under 50 acres in size....What is the source of water for the pond? Just runoff from your watershed or is it stream/spring fed? Do you own all the land in your pond's watershed? If not, do you know if other ponds upstream will drain into your pond? If a pond above drains into yours, you WILL get some of all the fish species in that pond that will be established into your pond....that will need to consider when developing a restocking plan. Killing off everything in the pond is pretty easy, but is not a DIY project for that much water....the fish that get killed off will get cleaned up pretty fast by all those turtles you dislike, along with loads of scavengers like coyotes, opossum, raccoon, fox, etc....The turtles will scatter for a while till pH returns to a point the turtles can swim in again.
You will really want to have a site visit by someone familiar with all the work and options, and have the engineering plans checked/modified for you particular pond....
... (clip) ....What is the source of water for the pond? Just runoff from your watershed or is it stream/spring fed? Do you own all the land in your pond's watershed? If not, do you know if other ponds upstream will drain into your pond? ....
Hi Rainman. There are two smaller ponds that drain into this one, plus about 4 or 5 healthy springs. It never comes close to running dry, even in the worst drought here in 1986---down only about 2 feet.
The crappie were a "gift" from a neighbor years ago. He didn't tell me about it until after he did the deed.{sigh} But they didn't take over. The contractor said he saw a 2.5 foot catfish while working. I figured all the catfish would be gone by now. It's predominately bream, and a moderate number of bass.
Ironically, since the water level has been down because of the broken standpipe, there has been a large increase in the number of minnows and frogs. I speculate it's because of more cover around the edges. Weeds have popped up in the more shallow parts.
Several more inches had rusted off the riser pipe since I first posted here, and the trash guard got covered with trash. This was the only evidence of the drain pipe. LOL (Sorry the pic is so large)
They used the excavator to remove the trash guard from below the water, got a cute vortex, and brought the water level down another foot or so.
That is quite the property and you have your own switchback road to the lake, awesome. I hope things are balancing out like you hoped? I'll offer my advice but remember, it is free and you get what you pay for.
In creating a self sustaining eco-system for a man made "water feature", the less you do, the more you accomplish. Nature always finds a way, if you allow it.
I wouldn't worry about the snapping turtles but I disagree they do not eat healthy fish. They definitely eat fish, healthy ones included. However, they will find balance with your lake and if they grow too abundant, Great Blue Herons will start to nest on your land. Chances are, foxes will roam in and find the eggs, then you'll have a fox den.
The only thing I do, is twice a month I test water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrite,phosphate, etc), dissolved oxygen and a secchi disc. I log it into an Excel spreadsheet and watch for trends or anomalies.
That is quite the property and you have your own switchback road to the lake, awesome. I hope things are balancing out like you hoped? I'll offer my advice but remember, it is free and you get what you pay for.
In creating a self sustaining eco-system for a man made "water feature", the less you do, the more you accomplish. Nature always finds a way, if you allow it.
I wouldn't worry about the snapping turtles but I disagree they do not eat healthy fish. They definitely eat fish, healthy ones included. However, they will find balance with your lake and if they grow too abundant, Great Blue Herons will start to nest on your land. Chances are, foxes will roam in and find the eggs, then you'll have a fox den.
The only thing I do, is twice a month I test water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrite,phosphate, etc), dissolved oxygen and a secchi disc. I log it into an Excel spreadsheet and watch for trends or anomalies.
Good luck, I'll be watching for more updates.
If a turtle can eat a healthy fish, that fish was too stupid to be in the pond anyway....a turtle catching a healthy fish is indeed possible, yet very very rare, and quite well documented
Snapping turtles have a rather interesting evolutionary development known as "Lingual Luring". The snapping turtle's tongue has evolved into a "worm like" structure it is able to wiggle like a worm. This development allows the snapper to lay motionless in water with its mouth open while wiggling its tongue. Unsuspecting fish, no matter their intelligence quotient, are lured by the tongue and when they take the bait (tongue) the snapping turtle closes its jaw. Snapping turtles are rather efficient at eating live, healthy fish.
It was my understanding that it was only the Alligator Snappers that performed "Lingual Luring", not the common snapper (or regular ole' sliders, painted, and redears).
Side note: I have never actually seen the rare Alligator Snapping turtle.
That is quite the property and you have your own switchback road to the lake, awesome. I hope things are balancing out like you hoped? I'll offer my advice but remember, it is free and you get what you pay for.
In creating a self sustaining eco-system for a man made "water feature", the less you do, the more you accomplish. Nature always finds a way, if you allow it.
I wouldn't worry about the snapping turtles but I disagree they do not eat healthy fish. They definitely eat fish, healthy ones included. However, they will find balance with your lake and if they grow too abundant, Great Blue Herons will start to nest on your land. Chances are, foxes will roam in and find the eggs, then you'll have a fox den.
The only thing I do, is twice a month I test water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrite,phosphate, etc), dissolved oxygen and a secchi disc. I log it into an Excel spreadsheet and watch for trends or anomalies.
Good luck, I'll be watching for more updates.
We always have one blue heron hanging around. I drove by (in a utility vehicle) within about 10 feet of this one a few weeks ago standing perfectly still, hoping I wouldn't see him, I guess.
Would love to know where the colony stays. Have also seen fox, beaver, an armadillo, and a coyote.
I didn't think anyone was watching this thread. Will post some updates by tomorrow.
The next day not much got accomplished because some of the workers didn't show up, and they didn't have enough pumps and hoses to drain the water down below the riser pipe in time for the cement truck to show up.
Next morning one of the guys came up with an idea to place a chunk of 36" culvert around the old riser pipe (24"), shove it down deep into the mud and drain the water from around the old riser pipe inside the 36" one. This is a photo they sent me, looking down into the old drain pipe, showing water leaking from the deep drain out in the middle of the pond and passing by through the bottom. I hope this makes sense.
They wasted some concrete trying to fill it, but finally got it. Unfortunately it was one day I couldn't be there so I hope they didn't cut corners.
The engineer's plans called for two 12" siphon drains. These photos start at the back side of the dam, going up, over, and down into the water.
In this photo you can see the 36" culvert over the old riser pipe, filled with concrete, and the wheel to open the gate to the deep water drain on out in the pond. That mechanism had almost completely rusted in two at the original water level.