Morning all! i have been lurking for many years but never posted. My property took a direct hit from helene. I live 1 mile from a mudslide that hit an area called Craigtown (google it). Flat Creek runs through my property. the pond was originally dug to make the roadways many decades ago. the pond was full of life and health for at least 60 years, as many of the locals i have spoken to in their 80's played in the pond as a kid, so it was very well established. There was a 15' wide X 8' tall berm separating the creek from the pond. helene wiped out the berm and filled in the pond with mud and rocks. the pond is fed by a few springs (indicated in BLUE on the attached drawing). the former pond was 5' deep at its max depth. the red area on the drawing was previously all marsh and bog. it has been almost entirely filled in with a few feet of mud/sand/rocks. i have lots of photos and videos of before, during, and after the storm. my goal is to put the pond back, but build it improving on where it was deficient. it always had algae growth so i am assuming some difusersshould be added and it was too shallow in several spots. it never had a proper drain, so i was wanting to put in a surface drain or a bottom drain and perhaps an emergency overflow into the creek. i want to build her back better than before. Would anybody here be able to help me navigate this project? i dont mind paying for someones time and guidance. the old pond was fishable and i would like it to remain that way. I am basically starting with a blank canvas of where a pond used to be. attached is the survey showing how i would prefer it to be rebuilt, as well as before and after photos. Thanks for all your help!
Easy thing to do might be to cut a large gap in the berm at the SW corner of your pond to re-connect to the creek. (Assumes your drawing has the up direction as due North.) Then divert the creek above your pond to flow into your pond basin.
While that sandy silt is loose, it should readily erode into the stream flow and be slowly removed from your pond basin. For the final stage, get a dozer in the pond basin and push out the last of the storm sediment, AND deepen the pond as needed.
Unfortunately, that is almost certainly ILLEGAL. Unless the authorities will grant you waivers due to storm damages? (Probably need State and Federal, and perhaps County.)
How much property do you own "south" of the pond dam? The next best option is to breach the dam and push material through the breach with a dozer. You will need a lot of space to spread that much material. If a significant portion is sandy, that can be pumped dry (or truly just moist) and it can be piled up a little bit.
Do you know your county NRCS agent? (If you have a good one, they are a wonderful resource.) Ask them for pond advice, and have them check if there are any waivers of rules due to the storm.
Good luck. You have a big project ahead, but it can certainly be accomplished.
The pond wasn’t being fed by the creek originally. The pond it fed by springs. Are you saying to allow the pond to be inlet? Pond is only intended to be approx 200’x150’ +/-. The springs flow at approx 2 gallons per minute and they have been flowing steadily as long as I’ve been here. Is that not enough supply? As far as permits, I’m in some backwoods and so far everybody around me has been having to correct water flows and deal with water issues. I’m Not sure when/if they will stop people from putting things back the way they were. I’ve got the berm built halfway back up. I have diverted the springs into 24” culverts to keep things drained into the creek. Thanks!
Our property has a creek that is mostly filled with sandy sediment. It is amazing how much a decent rainstorm will re-distribute that sand within the creek terraces.
If you could create a wide, flat area beyond your pond basin for the sediments to fall out of the water flow, then the creek would do some of the sediment removal work for you.
The spring flows at those low rates will not create a sufficient flow velocity to move the sand.
However, your springs are enough to mostly keep your pond full - even if you dig it deeper! Based on your dimensions, your pond is about 0.69 surface acres. If you lost 1/4" of water per day due to evaporation, that would be 4,684 gallons/day. Your springs at 2 GPM supply 2,880 gallons/day. Add in some additional rainfall, and the pond should be fine.
Are you sure your spring flows are only 2 GPM, that would just be a tiny trickle going through two 24" culverts?
Deepening the pond will NOT increase the evaporative water losses. However, it may increase your seepage losses - since your pond will not be perfectly sealed and the seepage water losses are dependent on the depth (hydrostatic pressure) of the pond. IF you are going to spend the money to rebuild the pond, then I think deepening it at the same time would give you a MUCH nicer pond for only a fair bit more of costs.
I hope that helps answer a few more questions. (If not, keep asking!)
Thanks so much for the help. As to the springs, that was a total guess. There are several springs all carving their own small channel. I used a 24” culvert because that’s all I had. It is only a trickle, but it’s worth mentioning I already dug a trench from the main spring head to dry out the pond area. In all reality with the amount of springs I have found so far and the number I have not, it could be a much higher flow. I know for certain based on talking to locals, the pond has always been full and was established more than 70 years ago. I saw a neighbors survey noting my pond over 100 years ago. Whatever was feeding it all those years still wants to feed it. I could certainly make it larger. The red area on the drawing is all available, although I wanted to leave some land for a barn or other future use. I have been on this property for 5 years and there are springs everywhere. The entire bank on the road side is riddled with springs. The road sits approx 20’ above the pond, so it also picks up some watershed. Also noted on the survey is a culvert running under the road picking up run off coming down the mountain, so I am certain I am underestimating. I want this pond to be more beautiful than it was. If you dm me an email I can send you videos so you have a better frame of reference.
With multiple springs, I believe you can now rebuild the pond almost any way you would like it - and have sufficient water to keep it full.
I would think about multi-use for your land + pond. Also, read some threads on the forum that you find interesting and see what type of pond you might like. For example; fishing, family swimming hole, etc.
With multiple springs, I believe you can now rebuild the pond almost any way you would like it - and have sufficient water to keep it full.
I would think about multi-use for your land + pond. Also, read some threads on the forum that you find interesting and see what type of pond you might like. For example; fishing, family swimming hole, etc.
Took measurement off the 24” outlet. Easily 10 gal/min coming out of the spring.
