Hi everyone. I am hoping to get some advice on the best way to control the water level in the 2 acre pond we just dug but haven’t yet filled. The pond has minimal water shed (roughly 2 acres), and has at least 36” of free board, so I’m not worried about a big rain event. I also don’t think I need to be able to use the overflow to draw down the pond. Instead I’m trying to figure out the best way to precisely control the water level.
From the edge of the pond to a nearby slope where I can drain excess water is about a 100’ away. The soil is uniform, perfect clay. Given this my thought is to dig a trench below water level, run a 100’ of 4” PVC pipe in the bottom of the trench, add some anti seep collars, compact the clay back, and then add an inline Agri Drain system in the middle of the pipe where I can control the water level.
https://www.agridrain.com/shop/c85/...1/inline-water-level-control-structures/I’m wondering how far below water level the intake should be to protect it from ice damage. I don’t think the ice would get thicker than 18” (Southern Ontario weather, similar to Northern Michigan), so perhaps putting the bottom of the pipe at 24” below water level would be enough.
What do you all think of this? Is 24” below water level deep enough to protect from ice, or should I go lower? What are your thoughts on this approach generally? Anything you would do differently? My goals are precise water level control, easy to install, and robust.
