As expected the pH test for the pond came back fairly hot 5.1 pH. After doing some research I should have taken soil samples Prior to it filling and amended it with AgLime at that point. - Makes perfect sense and I had thought about it but didn't get the knowledge until now of how and the studied findings on different lime formulations.
Anyway - 4 actual tons, at the neutralizing rate of 2T per surface acre after the "loss"
Last edited by Stressless; 04/18/2209:03 PM.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
Got to the overflow and had Mose into get some light work now that the pond level was known...
This is what it looked like prior to him coming in and getting into a bit of a pickle...
he kept trying to get that behemoth out and only got it deeper and deeper...
I finally got him to call it a recovery and he got another track in with a winch on it and got it out.
At the end of the day he left some deep gouges after a 3-4 hour delay from getting the dozer about swamped.
He came back in and backed out all the ruts and finished up real nice.
The pH had come up to 6.3 or so but that was prior to the new work so I'll have to add about 1000#or so to the new areas but once that's done I'm 97.5% sure that the excavator work on the pond is complete and all I have to do is dial in the chemistry and stock.
Right now it's a a little lime to hit the 7.0 pH and gypsum to raise the alkalinity to the right level.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
There a been a good couple 'validation' points along Crescent Pond renovation and this one is specific to the evaporation / seepage.
Aug '21 - late May '22 - the pond filled up to the overflow, 11' deep, 65' wide, 1100' long = 5,875,155.00 us gallons.
Since the material I used to make the "dam" aka causeway at the property line is porous I have to figure the other surface area into as well, which comes to 2.5 SA.
We've had a drought in this part of Ohio for about 3 weeks now and I have a rain gauge at the farm so I have the data to correlate.
In June, .24"+.56"+.64"+.08"+.04" = 1.56" total rainfall for the month. The watershed I calculated is 1" of rain in the ponds watershed would produce in 531,000 sqft x .62 = 329,220 gallons or in June we should have added 513,583 gallons.
NCRS and others have "average" evaporation rates by month - so for June - that's 4.5" of loss per PAN for the month of June.
So, if I do Simple (KISS) 1.56" of rainfall (-) 4.5" of avg PAN evaporation loss 'should' indicate a drop in the overall pond average level by -2.94" (roughly)
Last day of June capture.
this last pic is zoom on pond level indicator. There is a mark right at the current water level which is ~ 3" low, or below the overflow. The validation is that the pond's renovations and patch (Aug '21) are all holding really well based on the correlation of the Avg PAN loss and the current pond level.
Lots of SMILES over here!!!
Last edited by Stressless; 07/01/2210:41 AM.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
That is great news! for the amount of work and money you have committed to the project. You cant get much better news then that, other then finding out your fish grew much faster then you expected!
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
Good news and Bad news on the Crescent Pond project.
[video:youtube][/video]
-June'22, Tested pH and it came to 7.0 pH -July'22, Tested pH it came in at 7.0 pH -July '22, Stocked 15# of Fathead minnows(FHM) and 40 Redear Sunfish(RES) -Aug'22, Tested Alkalinity - Hellaoff at 23ppm... < 20ppm fish can't live.
With the pH dialed in I needed to get Alkalinity ppm up above 50, really above 100 ppm if possible. I looked around and found powered gypsum was the just the ticket I needed. Did the math on surface arce foot etc ordered enough to bring, in a lab environment, the Alkalinity up to 150ppm, the lower limit the pros here told was 80. IF I get it to 100 ppm I'll be real happy.
-Aug'22, amended with 2200# of powered gypsum to meet the 150ppm of Alkalinity. Did this off the venerable old rowboat with a modified sluice and 4.0GPM pump.
pH and Alkalinity 'should be good' for bit but now the seep.
With the drought this fall I was really hopeful the water drop was the result of that and not a seep. That's not the case as Oct-Jan rolled in with ample moisture and almost no evaporation (PAN) the level is holding solid about 2' below the overflow.
That's the good and bad news, if I don't do another thing the pond will thrive. .... but I'm me and as I push the glasses up the bridge of my nose and adjust my britches I know I 'might' be able to plug the seep, it raised up the overflow once so somewhere there's a seep (maybe more) but since it reached the overflow it's put a couple hundred thousand gallons thru the seep - it shouldn't be too hard to find.
Current plan is to test pH and Alkalinity in March'23 - if those are holding steady I'll stock FHM, RES, Golden GSH, SMB and YP - to be in the right ratio and plentiful. Also plan to add 300-400 crayfish.
Also in March'23 I'll do a real solid visual inspection of the entire pond perimeter to locate the active seep(s). My bentonite supplier has both the granular and chips and the current advice from the pros is 70/30 Chips/Granular, 6" thick and 8' in diameter from the seep.
-Apr'23 20 bags of chips and 6 bags of granular per located seep -Apr'23 replace 12-15 cypress tress that didn't catch from last Apr
As always looking for advice/feedback --
Last edited by Stressless; 01/18/2311:11 AM.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
If the bentonite doesn't work, talk to TJ here on the forum for his polymer product. I'm looking forward to seeing how the bentonite does and how long it lasts if it does work.
Is the experience with Bentonite that it degrades? or just doesn't work? I do NOT like redoing things - first things first thou... I need to find the seep which I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do.
I put TJ in the PMail thing but no user showed up - could you sen him this thread link - like to chat with him - much appreciated.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
Is the experience with Bentonite that it degrades? or just doesn't work? I do NOT like redoing things - first things first thou... I need to find the seep which I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do.
I put TJ in the PMail thing but no user showed up - could you sen him this thread link - like to chat with him - much appreciated.
Sorry, TJ is a moderator here. teehjaeh57
Dave Davidson has had first hand experience with Bentonite not working long term. Dave Davidson1
Thx for opinions and observations guys. I'm working through the COA's, getting Boot on Ground in March to observe the leak/seep will tell the tale I think. She's holding steady at 2.3' below the overflow and 8.7' deep.
Last edited by Stressless; 01/25/2311:53 AM.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
BLUF: The pond was 18" below overflow with a seep, it has gone a few inches lower over the summer so I decided to chase One Gremlin One time. I'm asking for any advice you all have had on plugging a known seep.
The pond project has gone very well from what I actually expected. There is one seep that has been located and is exactly where Mose got the dozer struck and messed up the formation underground in Aug '22. To compound the issue/problem it appears they buried a couple trees under the road when I wasn't on site for that one part of the work once they winched his dozer out.
A couple weeks ago on 23 Aug we got +2" of rain and I was on site and checked for the seep(s) along the entire edge of the pond. Only one was found as noted - right where the dozer went in.
This is where I'd like folks advise/constructive additions to the process [Actions on the Objective] as I have only plugged one seep and that was documented above in this thread.
1. Start buy digging a 12' long trench, parallel to the pond, at the base of the hill that wasn't disturbed by the original excavation in '21 or the work done in '22 to remove a hill that was collapsing into the pond road. The trench is a far from the pond edge as possible.
2. Dig down in that 12' long trench until we cross the seep and dig at least 2' down past the last wet/water/seep. It may be infiltrated with water add 3-500#'s of bentonite bottom and see if we can get any bentonite slurry to flow into the seep/hole this is pure conjecture but we'll be ready with a slurry pan and 4gpm pump.
3. Once the bentonite is in and one the edges of the trench fill and pack the trench with regular clay, add bentonite to it and on top. Fill trench and top with material.
4. Dig out the seep and tree trunk.root from trench to pond, add 500-900#'s of bentonite into the trench and close to the opening, fillwith reglulr clay and top and sides with remaining bentonite.
5. Remaining Clay packed along the pond edge on/around the edge of the disturbed ground.
We're getting after this next Thursday the 14th so timely ideas/advise is encouraged. 💦
Last edited by Stressless; 09/08/2301:55 PM.
8 Ponds in Mid-East Ohio, three streams that merge to 1.
A couple weeks ago on 23 Aug we got +2" of rain and I was on site and checked for the seep(s) along the entire edge of the pond. Only one was found as noted - right where the dozer went in.
How are you locating the seeps with high banks all around your pond?
Do you think the tree trunks are acting like a "pipe through the dam", and water channeled through your constructed bank following the long-axis of the tree trunks?
Your plan sounds solid to this non-expert.
P.S. Did you go from "Stressless" to "Stressed Out" when someone tried to add a Komatsu dozer to your pond structure?