Digging out near the dock & also getting stuck

[Richard]

We’ve had some sediment buildup near our dock. I spoke with our local TVA Watershed Team guy & he told me it was “ok” if I dredged up some of our boat ramp area. He said they not only allowed dock maintenance, they encouraged this. I guess they don’t want sediment to fill up their lake /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Overall the pics aren’t all illustrative as I’d hoped, but you still get an idea. Take notice that the water is well beyond the last pier. For conversation sake (later pics), we’ll call the OUTERMOST pier the first one.

 

[Richard]

Another view of the mush

 

[Richard]

another

 

[Richard]

the waters edge area

 

[fivestring]

Subject title probably says it all.
It looks like a tractor would sink about a foot or so in that muck! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Good luck.

 

[Richard]

My TVA dude told me if I remove any silt, his only “requirement” is that I dispose of it ABOVE the 820’ line, so that it’s above their summer flood plane. I raced home on Friday (week ago) and began

 

[Richard]

I backed Brutus out so the hoe was reaching the waters edge, I scraped (sort of like raking leaves) the top couple of inches of silt towards me into an ever increasing pile. I was under strict ‘advisement’ that I was only to remove sediment, not go nuts and dig trenches. In fact, he preferred I take tractor with box blade out there so I’d be very smooth and “thin” with my spoils movement.

As I raked spoils towards me, this pile grew, so I decided to remove it OUT of the lakebed from time to time. I moved a pile over near the beach (with a rocky base for better support of machine) and I moved Brutus over there to begin to extricate the pile of sediment.

As I went over there, it ended up being like trying to support myself in pudding.

 

[Richard]

this is the pile I was after, once I got stuck, I forgot all about the sediment, and now the only focus was to extricate Brutus. I was told when I began this, they registered the lowest “winter pool” in like 20 years the day before and as of then on, they expect the water to start to rise.

As I tried to move Brutus out, all 4 wheels just sunk into the muck. I used the front bucket to help keep the front tires out of the stuff, but it just sunk in. I tried backing out, using front bucket to push, and THAT was just like trying to push against gooey pudding, a very futile attempt. Finally, I latched a chain against a tree & pulled myself ½ out but still sunk down the instant I put it into drive.

Hooked a cable up to a truck (located on pavement for best traction) and as I expected, I just pulled the truck around like a Tonka toy.

Long story short, I finally got myself out and decided I would ONLY go back onto lakebed with the HOE facing the water, that way I could use the hoe to push myself forward (out).

 

[slowzuki]

Looks like the waters edge near where live. The dog loves running through that slop and sinking in a good foot or so!

 

[Richard]

the pic doesn’t really show perspective, but that is a large pile of muck on the left side.

 

[Richard]

another view of muck pile

 

[Richard]

I decided at this point that I’d put all the spoils to my right and try to manage a single muck pile. The original pile I had to the left side (the one that caused me getting stuck) I abandoned, figuring it would dissolve away with the wave/tide action.

Oh… at this point, I’m doing this on Saturday. The water level has risen to just above the first pier. Today (feb 19) it’s beyond the 4th pier!

 

[Richard]

Although I felt like I only removed 2 inches of sediment, I’m sure it was probably more like 8 inches to a foot in some places. This stuff was like pouring concrete…very “gloppy” and simply saturated with water. At this point, I’d removed most of the boat ramp area and deposited most of the spoils on the “road” at the base of the dock. This way, it could drain for a couple days and I can deal with it later.

 

[Richard]

As I scooped the sludge out, the water crept up on me.

 

[Richard]

Today, I still have this pile of muck on land I need to move, but the water is now beyond the FOURTH pier.

I’m very glad I called TVA when I did. In hindsight, I now see that had I waited even a day, I might not have been able to remove what I did.

The amount I removed STILL might not fix our ramp, but it certainly won’t hurt having that amount of sediment removed. Now that I know TVA is permissive of this, I can maintain the dock area annually and not let another 30 years go by with unattended accumulations of muck.

Oh.. my brother in law has an equipment rental business… NEXT time, we might bring out a track hoe to dig, and dump the spoils into the bucket of Brutus so it’s mobile. Either that or get a dump truck out.

I was so excited about DOING this, I had not thought about the amount of dirt I’d have to move. Truth be told, I really did need a truck here to haul the junk out in, if even to another spot on the farm (which is what I will do, bucket by bucket).

The important thing is, a large volume of muck is gone, the boats will hopefully be launched without having to put the tractor engine into the water (by being out so far)

 

[DocHeb]

I have a friend that uses a 3" trash pump attached to a pipe, and sucks the muck up and deposits it on shore. After drying out, he puts it in his garden.

 

[PineRidge]

Well Richard it looks to me as though Brutus was able to handle everything that you threw at it. I also can't think of a better way to get some extra seat time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

How long do you figure it will take before the silt/muck fills back in the void that you made before having to again repeat this process once again? /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Richard]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( How long do you figure it will take before the silt/muck fills back in the void that you made before having to again repeat this process once again )</font>

Hopefully 1 week /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've been around this family (inlaws) since 1989 and can vouch that since then (if ever) it's never been dug out at all.

There has always been a sense of fear/trepidation about the wrath of TVA and their required reams of legal work ($$).

As I seemed to have found out, the guy who is the yes/no guy wants "general" maintainenece of the water area and I guess he realized this is a win/win as if the homeowners do this, he (TVA) isn't required to spend the $$ on it, and if the homeowners do NOT do this, then the area might grow over to a more wild 'natural' state.

Anyway, now that I know this, I'm going to probably do it next year. I might also try to get the tractor/boxblade out there soon KNOWING it will get stuck, but maybe use it anyway to dress up the lakebed a bit and when it does get stuck, use Brutus to yank it, along with the bb full of dirt, out.

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

When I was stuck and using the front bucket to try to push out, it was like trying to push out by pushing agaisnt pudding. Not very cooporative.

Now I know to NEVER take Brutus in there unless backed in only, that way I can use (reason # 42 in the book of Why to Own a Backhoe) the backhoe to push myself out, rather than try to pull myself out with it as I tried, and just make more mush.

 

[PineRidge]

Richard sounds like you now have a game plan to me so next year it should be a whole lot easier for you. And besides whoever said backhoes were only meant for digging? Good luck to you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Taylortractornut]

Richard i do alot of lake work mainly when dirt work is slow ill do a few jobs around the lake. I usually rent a Mini excavator like a 27 Deere because our beaches here are washed chert rock and wont hold wheels up long. When i have to get near the water I get four logs close together so ican mat my way in and out. This year i plan on buying a midsized excavator for lake work. TVA here is good to deal with if you treat them right I take be fore and after pictures and invite them over alot. Im building a 5 foot wide ditching bucket for a Komatsu mini exvavator i rent a lot for scraping up muck and such. I cleaned out a silted in spot with alot of ecomposed leaf parts and such and took it to another customers yard that was barren. a few days after it dried and i spread it broadcast it looked like a green plot.
I hate to waste any type of soil lol. Down here on this section we have to removed any thing excavated from the lake. When we replace the rock by moving it wih the excavator it has to be loose gravel if its the lowered packed stuff it has to go. The last few years the water has been so high we have a time keeping erosion controlled.