I finally started my pond

[cowboy357]

Jim,
Your right on about the water table. I have mixed emotions over that. My pond looses a lot of water, but it comes back faster. It took two months to drop down and only 3.5 inches to get it back almost full. I have thought of using bentonite. My size pond should be small enough to not have too much "sticker" shock on the price of bentonite. I really want to keep it as full as possible. Normally down here we have a wet June and that, along with summer thunderstorms should keep it full. I am still thinking about daming my road ditch and diverting that water into the pond. I would have to convince my water company to not purge the water line on my side, but run a 3 inch or so water hose across the street.
I got a hold of Advanced Drainage Systems' product catalog and will be buying a waterproof elbow for the overflow pipe. This will raise the water level 12 more inches when full. Maybe then the water loss with dry spells will be acceptable.
hugs, Brandi

First off , I,ve just read the entire thread finally & its a really nice looking project Brandi , Thanks for sharing it .

I,ve been digging a small pond Myself the last several months Mainly for field drainage I needed dirt for several other projects . I Know I,m not doing it right like most others here , But Hopefully it will work out for Our needs .

But I do have one question as I cant properly seal it as well as Yours as I have very little clay & very sandy soil . As the heavy rains are pretty much over here for now anyway , Mine is dry again Which is What I wanted because it filled up before I was finished . The question is, Have You or any others ever considered putting in a dedicated cased well & pump water into it ?

I dug one years ago at anothor property much like the size of Yours But I had more clay there & it held fairlly well . However Since I stocked it with catfish I added a 1/4 horse pump & well just to keep it topped off . It had a 2 inch plastic line that ran to the waters edge that aimed up about a foot at about a 45 degree angle . I was told it would Provide oxygen for the fish as well as keeping it at a certain level & of coarse the waterfall type sound was an added bonus .

It worked Great & never had a fish kill the 10 years I lived there . Granted winter time I never ran it other then on really nice days . the Pump had its own well house & was insulated & had its own electric heater in it for the winter as it gets pretty cold here . The monthly cost never seemed to run more then maybe an additional 20 or 30 bucks a month depending on the weather & amount of Use .

I plan on doing the same thing with the new pond & Curious to Your thoughts or opinion & others of the idea . It makes it pretty nice when in dry months You dont have to depend on mother nature to keep the pond at an even level . Thanks again for the great thread. . Bob

 

[bindian]

My county is permitted now for just wells only for non irrigation or pond use. My supervisor has a well drill for a 3PH I want to try to dig down 8 feet at a time and put a solar powered pump on it. I don't want to use electricity from the grid for water refills. If I didn't have 50 foot trees around I would put in a wind mill. What if you used a windmill? Can you do a windmill in your part of Kansas?
hugs, Brandi

 

[Iowachild]

My county is permitted now for just wells only for non irrigation or pond use. My supervisor has a well drill for a 3PH I want to try to dig down 8 feet at a time and put a solar powered pump on it. I don't want to use electricity from the grid for water refills. If I didn't have 50 foot trees around I would put in a wind mill. What if you used a windmill? Can you do a windmill in your part of Kansas?
hugs, Brandi

How about a Wind Turbine?

 

[bindian]

How about a Wind Turbine?

Iowachild,
Okay, I will take 2. Please deliver them to Willis, Texas.
hugs, Brandi

 

[GreenLawnFarm]

maybe a cistern would work

 

[cowboy357]

My county is permitted now for just wells only for non irrigation or pond use. My supervisor has a well drill for a 3PH I want to try to dig down 8 feet at a time and put a solar powered pump on it. I don't want to use electricity from the grid for water refills. If I didn't have 50 foot trees around I would put in a wind mill. What if you used a windmill? Can you do a windmill in your part of Kansas?
hugs, Brandi

I,d be Curious to know more about the solar powered pump Brandi I have never heard of one.

As far as the windmill I have one thats at another place on the Property I,m trying to figure out how to take down & Move & it would be Great for the Pond , But is Missing the fan Blades & tail section . So I,m thinking the electric pump would be much cheaper for now . Thanks Bob

 

[jinman]

I hear that T. Boone Pickens is having a garage sale. Maybe you could pick up a windmill from him.

Pickens Scraps Wind Farm Project

 

[EddieWalker]

I,d be Curious to know more about the solar powered pump Brandi I have never heard of one.

Me too. I would think that a steady flow of water would only be a good thing. Figuring it out so that it will last and you are not buying junk or something that breaks down all the time would be the challenge.

From what I've seen, 12 volt solar panels and batteries are fairly affordable for what you get, but finding a 12 volt pump that will last and move the water from down deep in a well to the pond would be a challenge. Pumps are limited by how far they lift the water. If the water table is just a dozen feet, it should be doable, but if it's 50 feet down, it's going to be tough to find a pump that can do this.

I'd sure be interested in what you come up with. I started to dig a well for my small pond, but hit iron oar and gave up about 20 feet down. I'm thinking of a few ways to get through the rock, but it's way down on my list of things to do.

Eddie

 

[bindian]

That Wind Turbine that Iowachild mentioned back in #183 sure has my interest. A little steep for my pocket right now though. Solar power would have to use an inverter and possibly a battery. A windmill will pump day or night. A windmill can be hooked up on a well with an aircompressor. Seen one of those on my uncle's place.
hugs, Brandi

 

[MtnViewRanch]

My county is permitted now for just wells only for non irrigation or pond use. My supervisor has a well drill for a 3PH I want to try to dig down 8 feet at a time and put a solar powered pump on it. I don't want to use electricity from the grid for water refills. If I didn't have 50 foot trees around I would put in a wind mill. What if you used a windmill? Can you do a windmill in your part of Kansas?
hugs, Brandi

Brandi, you just need a 60 foot tower. Unfortunately, windmills usually run about double that of your std electric units.

 

[bindian]

Brandi, you just need a 60 foot tower. Unfortunately, windmills usually run about double that of your std electric units.

Brian,
I have seen windmills second hand for $800-1000. But I would need a taller tower.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Hey y'all,
If you like Birds of Prey, I stated a new thread here..... http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/south/148380-red-hawk-down.html
hugs, Brandi

 

[dynasim]

Northern Industrial has a line of solar powered pumps that are reliable enough to use for watering cattle in western kansas from wells >100 ft deep. Particularly when steady water flow is not necessary, they are effective. However, in the long run, it is cheaper to just use line electricity to do the job. The electricity saved won't pay for the power panel.

The big advantage is that you do not have to pay for the electrical infrastructure cost.

Chris

 

[bindian]

I have finally decided to install an end cap (plug) on the overflow pipe. I have it rough cut out and will now cut it to be level. I will tar the insides after securing the end cap and coupling to the pipe with ty raps (zip ties). This will increase water level about 10 inches and still have about 10-12 inches from the top of the dam.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

Brandi, your water looks pretty clear. How are your fish doing?

That endcap looks pretty thick. Do you think you could drill some small holes around the perimeter into the endcap and then put some #6 stainless screws into it to secure it into place? I'm not sure how you plan to do your zipties, but keeping that endcap in place and water-tight is going to be the biggest challenge. When water rises around the pipe before it overflows, you are going to have a very powerful lift of that whole end section. It's like a two-place kayak. You might have to put an anchor on the end of the pipe to keep if from flexing upward. It probably won't flex too far, but over time, the up/down flexing with water level will surely be an issue. How big an issue, I'm not sure, but it certainly will tend to float upwards.

 

[bindian]

Brandi, your water looks pretty clear. How are your fish doing?

That endcap looks pretty thick. Do you think you could drill some small holes around the perimeter into the endcap and then put some #6 stainless screws into it to secure it into place? I'm not sure how you plan to do your zipties, but keeping that endcap in place and water-tight is going to be the biggest challenge. When water rises around the pipe before it overflows, you are going to have a very powerful lift of that whole end section. It's like a two-place kayak. You might have to put an anchor on the end of the pipe to keep if from flexing upward. It probably won't flex too far, but over time, the up/down flexing with water level will surely be an issue. How big an issue, I'm not sure, but it certainly will tend to float upwards.

Jim,
Look close and you will see a coupling around the end cap and pipe. It has flatter corrigation then the pipe and end cap. That and the ty raps should be enough to hold it in position. I have been against putting any type of screws in it, but I can if needed as it is a double wall pipe. The flat end of the cap is about 5/16th inch thick. The rest is thin plastic. But maybe I can drive some steel stakes in the dam down good and secure them to the flat thickness of the end cap. Thanks for the idea. I haven't thought about the force of water trying to push the whole thing up. I have throught about cementing around the end of the pipe.
The water is pretty clear, just a shade of all the clay. I haven't added fish yet, will get 1000 fathead minnows on the 19th, followed in 2 months with 4-6 blue catfish fingerlings. I was told by the county natural resource guy to do this to give the fatheads a head start. Also I will sink a fork lift pallet in swallow water for fathead reproduction.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

The overflow pipe end cap is done. I now need to install wire over it. I spliced the end cap (after cutting to approx. water level) to the pipe with 4 short lengths of small, electric, stamped, steel fence posts. Not T posts. I bolted it all together with cad plated 1/4 inch bolts. I then sealed with fibered roof sealant, inside and outside, then made a concrete form and added 5 sacks of concrete. The concrete was my remedy to Jim mentioning the water will lift on the pipe before overflow. Regretfully, it looks like I will have to add Bentonite to keep the pond full. The only time it was full was last April when we got over 10 inches of rain within an 8 day period.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

Is the water level steadily dropping? Most ponds will lose water for quite awhile when they first fill up with water. I takes some time for the soil to get to that point where it holds water. While Betonite will sometimes seal a pond, you have to really mix it in with the soil after draining the pond. How much to use and how far up the banks, plus how well to mix it with the soil is all a big part of getting it to work.

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[jinman]

Good job with the concrete, Brandi. That looks like a really professional job. Maybe this week, you'll get to see it tested. According to the NWS, you have an 80% chance of rain today and 20%-30% the rest of the week.

BTW: Any woman who can build her own forms and mix 5 bags of concrete is okay in my book. There aren't many like you.

 

[dave1949]

Is the water level steadily dropping? Most ponds will lose water for quite awhile when they first fill up with water. I takes some time for the soil to get to that point where it holds water. While Betonite will sometimes seal a pond, you have to really mix it in with the soil after draining the pond. How much to use and how far up the banks, plus how well to mix it with the soil is all a big part of getting it to work.

Good Luck,
Eddie

Thanks for that info Eddie. I have a rain catchment pond dug last November. It oozes water out along the bottom. I am hoping it seals itself a bit like you describe, over time. Just have to wait and see.

Dave.