Building Lake Corona

[jk96]

Really happy with the progress the last two day. Was able to get in at least 5-6 hours each day and moved a lot of dirt. The dam is now at water height across 2/3 of it. Need to get the pipe ordered for the overflow and then will work on expanding the base of the dam, installing overflow, and building free board. Here's some pics as of this morning. Rain is on the way for the next couple of days.

2020-09-08_11-00-40


2020-09-08_11-01-17


2020-09-08_11-01-26


2020-09-08_11-01-39


2020-09-08_11-02-09

 

[ovrszd]

Very good progress!!!! Crappy weather moving thru for the next few days.....

 

[milkman636]

Looking good. Have you estimated the final surface area yet?

 

[lilranch2001]

I do not know much (if anything) about building a pond, but I have thought about building one for over 20 years, so I have put a lot of consideration into one.

I think if I was going to build one, the first thing I would do is to put a large (8"-12") pipe in the bottom and lay it through the dam, so I could keep the pond drained through out the project. As the op has done, then build the dam and pond.

Keep the pond drained as all the grass on the dam and around the pond grows in the runoff areas, only then would I install a Keystone type butterfly valve on the end of the disharge pipe, so that I could drain any muck that would build up to the level of the inlet of that discharge pipe, and also be able to control over topping the dam if needed.

Not sure how well it would work, but I would think it could help with maintaining the muck level.

 

[jk96]

Looking good. Have you estimated the final surface area yet?

Not yet. My best guess would be 2 acres.

 

[bindian]

2020-09-08_11-01-26 /QUOTE]

I hope you are packing the back side of the dam as you are building it up. It looks, like it isn't packed.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jk96]

2020-09-08_11-01-26 /QUOTE]

I hope you are packing the back side of the dam as you are building it up. It looks, like it isn't packed.
hugs, Brandi

Yes. Using the track loader to pack as I build it out. Had just finished adding another layer of dirt when pics were taken.

 

[dragoneggs]

Not yet. My best guess would be 2 acres.

Wow! More than double what I was thinking. :thumbsup: Even more impressive now.

 

[bindian]

Yes. Using the track loader to pack as I build it out. Had just finished adding another layer of dirt when pics were taken.

Got it. Sweet! You packing with a load of dirt in the bucket? It is looking good. Gonna be an impressive dam.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jk96]

Got it. Sweet! You packing with a load of dirt in the bucket? It is looking good. Gonna be an impressive dam.
hugs, Brandi

No dirt in the bucket. At the moment the backside is too steep for me to back up with a load of dirt. Will need to expand the base to lesson the slope. I don't really have any concerns over compaction though. Lots of trips building this up seems to be doing a very good job. That showed the two times the dam was topped with little to no damage.

 

[jk96]

Wow! More than double what I was thinking. :thumbsup: Even more impressive now.

Should be at least 1.5 but I'm guessing closer to 2. There is a 2nd ravine not shown in my pics that I still need to work on. Water will push back into this area as well. This is actually where most of the runoff is entering the pond from a neighbors hay field. This will be the last area I'll tackle. There will be a lot of topsoil that comes out of this area. I'll use it to cover the completed dam.

Pic5

 

[ovrszd]

In regards to compaction. A bonus to using a "small" piece of equipment is the number of trips to complete the task. A CTL isn't an ideal compaction tool but your thin lifts and repetition will overcome that shortfall.

It takes a LOT of material to add a foot of dam height once you get close to being done. A LOT.

 

[EddieWalker]

...I think if I was going to build one, the first thing I would do is to put a large (8"-12") pipe in the bottom and lay it through the dam, so I could keep the pond drained through out the project. ...

The pipe will act as a path for water to leak. They make baffles that can be fitted around the pipe that slow this down from happening, but eventually, every dam will leak with a pipe through it. Water never gives up, and it might take decades, but eventually, it will work it's way along the outer edges of the pipe. And that's if it's all compacted super good all the way around the pipe. If you don't compact it to near 100% compaction, it will leak sooner. Do you know how hard it is to compact soil under a pipe?

 

[ovrszd]

They call them "Seep Collars" here in Missouri. Every pond/lake pipe has one welded to the steel overflow pipe. A piece of 1/4" thick sheet metal 3' square with the pipe going thru the center of it.

 

[Jim Nelson]

The pipe will act as a path for water to leak. They make baffles that can be fitted around the pipe that slow this down from happening, but eventually, every dam will leak with a pipe through it. Water never gives up, and it might take decades, but eventually, it will work it's way along the outer edges of the pipe. And that's if it's all compacted super good all the way around the pipe. If you don't compact it to near 100% compaction, it will leak sooner. Do you know how hard it is to compact soil under a pipe?

Also, if you live in gopher country, they will burrow beside invariably just like they do irrigation lines. Especially lawn irrigation lines. Compaction doesn't' deter them at all. I rebuilt a back driveway at our place shortly after we bought it because it had just been busted through without any concern for drainage. I re-graded it.scarified it, and rolled it with a 5 ton double drum roller, with plenty of moisture added. I checked it after with a steel probe and it was tight. I then topped it with reground asphalt cuttings 4" thick and added moisture and rolled them with the same machine. Next morning there was 2 spots where gophers made their presence known. I'll bet their digging claws were nubbins but they did it. You can't beat Mother Nature.

 

[KubotainNH]

Any updates on this?

 

[dragoneggs]

Any updates on this?

Just thinking the same... been a few weeks. Had to have been another rain event, no?

 

[jk96]

Any updates on this?

Sorry. No real updates. Work and life have interrupted this project so have only worked for a few hours on it since my last post. I'm planning on stopping by the plumbing house today to price and hopefully order pipe for the siphon drain. Center of the dam is at the waterline. Would like to get the pipe in then finish building the dam. Waterline is about 2 feet lower than I wanted. Any higher and I'm going to be pushing past the 15 ft limit before getting into approvals and engineering and don't want that.

 

[jk96]

I also picked up a 2" trash pump from harbor freight yesterday so I can get the rest of the water in the bottom of the pond out. That's the plan for today.

 

[jk96]

I also picked up a 2" trash pump from harbor freight yesterday so I can get the rest of the water in the bottom of the pond out. That's the plan for today.

Pump worked great. Was able to remove almost all but a few inches of water. Ordered everything for the siphon drain today as well. The supply house had the pipe in stock but had to order some of the fittings. Going with 10". This should handle 99% of the rains. I'll create an emergency spillway and will probably line with a lot of the limestone I've pulled out during excavation to help with erosion during an overflow event.