Need help - emptying pond

[tractorshopper]

After several years of having a pond, I'm now wanting to fill it in and put it back the way it was.

My younger neighbors in the "hood" are having more children and they like to play and roam (which I am perfectly fine with) and I'm just afraid that one day, one of the kids could slip or drown while out playing. Plus, my last ducks have finally left and I don't plan on getting any more of them at this time.

Yesterday, I cut into the dam on my overflow side to the back side. The pond was already about 2' low, so I worked it from the backside of the dam, then broke through on the side to the front from above cutting down to a small channel that probably allowed another 4-5 inches to drain.

I started on the high side to dig the build up to grade and push into the pond, but thought this will probably hurt more than help. I'll just be making a mud ball if I took this approach so stopped almost immediately.

Anyway, I had a hard time trying to get garden hose to start siphoning as the slope on the back side of the dam is very gradual. I think I need to pump the pond dry from here because from this point down is mostly dug out. Then once pumped dry, I can take the dam back down and re-fill and contour back to the basic drainage ditch it originally was before I built the pond.

Basically, I need help with how to empty the pond and any advice about filling it back in, etc. If we get new rain from here, the pond will only stay the same depth it is right now. I'm guessing about 5 to 5.5 more feet that I need to empty.

 

[tractorshopper]

Our local rental place doesn't have a trash pump, but only a smaller clean water pump they said was good just for pools basically. If not too expensive, I could buy one, but am looking for your recommendations there too.

 

[timswi]

I'd ask around the neighborhood--Private garbage pumps are not all that uncommon.

 

[Thomas]

Check w/your local equipment rental store.
2" discharge you'll be done before you know it and no headaches.

 

[Rara Avis]

Check with your local volunteer fire department...for a small donation they may come out and drain your pond for you...classic suction training for department engineers...

 

[EddieWalker]

For a lot less the renting a pump and paying for fuel, I would build a siphon out of 2 inch PVC pipe. You need to put a valve on either end, and a T at the top with another valve. The end in the water only needs to be under water at first, the other end needs to be below the deepest part of the pond. With both valves at the ends closed, open the valve attached to the T at the highest point on top of the dam and start filling it with water. Once full, close the top valve, open the valve in the water and get it as deep as possible. Then open the drain valve.

 

[Deere Dude]

If you have a submersible sump pump with 1-1/2 discharge hose you could have the 50' hose down hill and start the sump pump. Once it starts pumping it will just keep on siphoning.

 

[tractorshopper]

Thanks for the suggestions. Hadn't thought about the fire dept at all. I might swing by there and ask them.

Eddie, I thought of doing what you suggest and had read about that here before, but my problem is the length I'd have to run on the other side of the dam. It is a very gradual slope a long way to drop the extra 5-6 feet to get to the bottom of the pond level. Basically, I dug the pond out and built the dam with the spoils at the same time, so a good bit of the pond is under the level of the ground on the back side of the dam. I might have to run over 150' or more on the back side, which is causing me to consider the pump idea.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A two inch pump will empty a pond in an amazingly short time.

I have a good friend that lost his son in a pond accident. The poor lad suffered brain damage and was cared for until he died quite a number of years later. Terrible tragedy. His wife, made him fill in the pond.

 

[Sprinklerman]

A sump pump will empty a swimming pool overnight

 

[Deere Dude]

So how big is the pond? I didn't see the size anyplace.

 

[jaxs]

Our local rental place doesn't have a trash pump, but only a smaller clean water pump they said was good just for pools basically. .

"Clean water" is subjective. In this case clean mean's there's no large solid objects such as sticks or plants floating in the water. Trash pumps are always rated for size objects it will handle,commonly up to 2".

 

[tractorshopper]

I did some calcs one time and came up with about a tenth of an acre. Certainly not a big pond. About 80' across in each direction or so, mostly circular. about 8.5' at the deepest spot, but not much that deep.

right now with the work I've already done, it's about 2.5-3 feet below full. Got a big storm last night, but of course it just ran right out of the cut I made, so at least it won't get any fuller in the meantime. With all the possible hurricane paths and aftermath type storms, I may need to wait a couple weeks before planning any further work.

If a sump pump will drain a pool overnight, that may be what I need to try here. It's probably about a normal pool worth of water left in it at this point because even though it's more surface than a normal pool, it's graduated with the depth and no deep end per se.

 

[civilian]

Where is this water draining to? Is there a stream or creek involved? Locals may have something to say about draining into a stream. If it is just draining onto your property, maybe you can keep cutting your drain slit deeper every few days. Jon

 

[CalG]

If you wait it out, the water cutting over the top will reset the original water way.

It takes work to keep water back. Quite the work, nature will take it's course. Wait until all these storms pass and see what's left.

Or rent a ditch Witch for the day

 

[tractorshopper]

Jon,
On the back side of my dam, I have a very wide gradual slope for about 150', then the water will hit a run-off gully that runs about 1/3 mile through thick woods to a very large pond. I doubt what little I have in my pond if running through a large pump would even make it to that pond before being absorbed. It takes a heck of a rain to get anything going into my pond to begin with which I cut into the natural runoff path I just described. I can't cut the slit any deeper without a ditch witch or backhoe for quite a long run because I already took it down to what was/is the natural/original grade. The rest of the water in it is basically the bowl I dug out.

Cal, I will definitely wait out these storms now since Irma is turning up now. We will get residual storms if not some decent brunt of it depending on how it plays out. I'll wait until all that is past, then come back to it. For now, the cut in the dam will just let the normal runoff I get go straight through, kind of like it used to before I built the pond. I went to TS last night and looked at trash pumps. I've asked around and no one I know has one. I can buy one for 250 and another 100 in hoses I guess. Maybe I'll sell on Craig's list afterward, but in meantime, I'm looking on Craigslist.

 

[oosik]

I have a 2" Honda heavy duty commercial trash pump - WT20. It pumps - 185gpm or around 11,000 gph. I use it almost every year to empty a pond that forms at the end of my driveway. Had it now for 17 years and it works like a champ.

This year the pond was ENORMOUS - took 75+ hours of continuous pumping to eliminate the pond - approximately 850,000 gallons.

 

[CincyFlyer]

I have a HF 3" trash pump, which works just fine. I've sucked the goo off the bottom of a swimming pool that hadn't been used in years, no problems. If you were close, I'd sell it to you cheap!

 

[rekees4300]

After several years of having a pond, I'm now wanting to fill it in and put it back the way it was.

What are you planning to do with the tons of muck?

 

[tractorshopper]

What are you planning to do with the tons of muck?

My basic plan is to literally go in reverse of how I built it. Take the spoils that I built the dam from and fill the hole back up by dismantling the dam one bucket-full at a time basically making a reverse ramp from the outside edge in. Only difference is that I built it with my L3800 with tooth bar that had a much larger bucket capacity than my BX2380. Gonna take a lot longer in reverse. Also, because the BX is so much lighter, it takes longer to "dig" into the dam even with it having a tooth bar to get a full scoop. I packed the dam by driving over it with the L3800 in about 4" lifts. It's hard as a rock now.

Oosik, sounds like trash pump is my best option.

Cincy, I didn't even think about HF. We actually have one of them in the closest city now, so I should go look there as well. I've only been in there once.