Looking for advice/ideas on sediment filtration for water coming out of a culvert - feeding a 5/8” water line

[KilroyJC]

DISCLAIMER: YES - I WILL TAKE AND POST SOME PICS LATER TODAY -

Our lot is in a little dead-end valley, and the part that will be farmable once I clear it out - it has not been tended in 50+ years, and there are a good number of substantial trees that need to come down first.

Up on the neighbor’s lot above us is a small, spring-fed pond which drains down two courses through our property. It is about 200’ higher than the bottom of our lot.

a dirt/gravel road goes up our lot to the upper reaches, and the courses run through culverts under the road.

they do not flow much - but they flow steady. They do combine and flow through the middle of our lower area, and the combined flow is probably not more than 15 gal/min and probably is less.

I ran about 700’ of 5/8” black irrigation tubing from the higher-flowing branch, and under the end of the culver pipe I suspended a two-gallon bucket stuffed with open-cell foam that the tubing is mounted to, and the bucket is angled such that the tubing is a couple inches above the bottom.

the problem is that it does not take long for sediment to build up in the bucket and restrict the flow. Because of the open-cell foam, the sediment is pretty fine, so it doesn’t really make a solid plug like a pebble would, but it is necessary to clean the bucket out and restart the siphon action every couple days.

does anyone have any suggestion as to a mechanical separation device or other filter setup that does not require external power that is self-cleaning or at least can go more than a few days at a time without emptying?

thank you!

 

[nyone]

What about a 5gal bucket with a whole lot of holes and something like a Tshirt wrapped around it?

What is the water going into? Do you really need to separate the silt prior to going into the pipe?

 

[2manyrocks]

First thought is that the water must be picking up a lot of debris once it leaves the neighbor's pond before it gets to your pipe. Would your neighbor consider letting you run a pipe directly to his pond?

Second thought is you need a large storage tank like a 275 gallon water tote to collect the water and allow sediment to fall to the bottom of the bank along with a large drain pipe. Run your water line off the top of the tank, but be prepared to periodically drain the sediment from the bottom of the tank.

 

[KilroyJC]

What about a 5gal bucket with a whole lot of holes and something like a Tshirt wrapped around it?

What is the water going into? Do you really need to separate the silt prior to going into the pipe?

This was sortakinda a trial run, and due to space considerations by the pipe the 2 gallon bucket fit better. I will post pictures later and it will make more sense.

I want to keep bigger particles out because the ID is only 5/8 - if I had 4” pipe it wouldn’t really be an issue, but 600+ feet of 4” is a bit pricey, while two 500’ spools of 5/8 irrigation tube was about $120.

 

[KilroyJC]

First thought is that the water must be picking up a lot of debris once it leaves the neighbor's pond before it gets to your pipe. Would your neighbor consider letting you run a pipe directly to his pond?

Second thought is you need a large storage tank like a 275 gallon water tote to collect the water and allow sediment to fall to the bottom of the bank along with a large drain pipe. Run your water line off the top of the tank, but be prepared to periodically drain the sediment from the bottom of the tank.

hmmm. . . A couple of IBC totes on blocks. . . Acting like a mini-millpond. . . That could be a doable option. Thanks for the idea!

we just had a survey done last month, and the corner of the sortakinda rectangularish pond comes over our property line about 18 inches and we have about 4’ of “lakefront property” so theoretically we could just put a pipe in, but then that run is over some “textured” terrain and would add about another 350’-400’ of piping, whereas gravity has already cut a watercourse. If I were going that route, I might as well just rent a track home and dig a pond where the two watercourses meet (which is something I already plan for the future - there are other things that need to be done first!) and that would provide about 30’ of head.

the main thing I am trying to accomplish with this is to be able to fill buckets easily and do some irrigation WITHOUT having to use buckets.

 

[newbury]

2nd vote for IBC Totes!
Make 1 primary, 1 secondary.

 

[plowhog]

the corner of the sortakinda rectangularish pond comes over our property line about 18 inches and we have about 4’ of “lakefront property”

Be careful about taking water there, as just because you have a tiny sliver of "shore" doesn't mean you have rights to remove the water. Something that would need to be checked.

Two thoughts:

1. You might consider a hydraulic ram pump. They lose water downstream to enable the pumping action, but they require zero power and will pump up a hill. Maybe not usable for you, but I would investigate.

2. It's fairly common to wrap perforated pipe with a cloth or screen, then lay that pipe in a stream to collect filtered water. Similar to drain pipes that are installed in gravel behind a retaining wall-- wrapped first to keep debris out.

3. If you want to get the silt removed from water you have diverted, you have to slow the water down or still it to allow the silt to drop to the bottom. Otherwise the silt is carried along with the water. A series of cascading buckets or water storage devices might work well to collect silt. Of course most of the silt would get caught in the first bucket with less being caught in the next one(s.) The key is to slow the water down to allow the silt to settle.

 

[KilroyJC]

A little late, but I TOOK PICTURES!

 

[KilroyJC]

Be careful about taking water there, as just because you have a tiny sliver of "shore" doesn't mean you have rights to remove the water. Something that would need to be checked.

Two thoughts:

1. You might consider a hydraulic ram pump. They lose water downstream to enable the pumping action, but they require zero power and will pump up a hill. Maybe not usable for you, but I would investigate.

2. It's fairly common to wrap perforated pipe with a cloth or screen, then lay that pipe in a stream to collect filtered water. Similar to drain pipes that are installed in gravel behind a retaining wall-- wrapped first to keep debris out.

3. If you want to get the silt removed from water you have diverted, you have to slow the water down or still it to allow the silt to drop to the bottom. Otherwise the silt is carried along with the water. A series of cascading buckets or water storage devices might work well to collect silt. Of course most of the silt would get caught in the first bucket with less being caught in the next one(s.) The key is to slow the water down to allow the silt to settle.

ThNk you!

that is why I want to try to use the natural drainage courses from the pond that already exist - no neighbor problems. The water is coming onto my property already, why cause problems?

there is nowhere near enough flow for operating a ram pump, but where I want the water is lower anyway, so N/A.

looks like a series of IBC totes will be in my future!

 

[KilroyJC]

What about a 5gal bucket with a whole lot of holes and something like a Tshirt wrapped around it?

What is the water going into? Do you really need to separate the silt prior to going into the pipe?

Pics posted