Making a Creek Pond

[Boeing]

Fellas I have a small flowing creek, narrow, shallow, you get the picture. I have hauled in tractor buckets of rocks and made a "crossing" so I can drive my tractor across. Kinda steep down and up the other side. Got a great idea, uh oh, I got 2 surplus 18" culvert pipes about 10' long and figure that IF I remove some of these rocks, pad the "floor" with dirt and gravel and install the culverts, then bucket after bucket after bucket of dirt and gravel I could reduce the steep down and up for the cross.
THEN, I got another idea...OMG, IF, I could rock, sand, bags of conrete....SOMETHING to stop water from going UNDER the pipes I might leave the pipes 12" or so above the creek bed for a little pond. Great idea but HOW does one make this water pool instead of work it's way under or around the culvert pipes? Hmmm???

 

[repete]

Well you obviously do not live in Washington State or you would be in jail for doing anything within 75' a creek.....

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Well you obviously do not live in Washington State or you would be in jail for doing anything within 75' a creek.....

Good that I won't ever live in Washington state.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Fellas I have a small flowing creek, narrow, shallow, you get the picture. I have hauled in tractor buckets of rocks and made a "crossing" so I can drive my tractor across. Kinda steep down and up the other side. Got a great idea, uh oh, I got 2 surplus 18" culvert pipes about 10' long and figure that IF I remove some of these rocks, pad the "floor" with dirt and gravel and install the culverts, then bucket after bucket after bucket of dirt and gravel I could reduce the steep down and up for the cross.
THEN, I got another idea...OMG, IF, I could rock, sand, bags of conrete....SOMETHING to stop water from going UNDER the pipes I might leave the pipes 12" or so above the creek bed for a little pond. Great idea but HOW does one make this water pool instead of work it's way under or around the culvert pipes? Hmmm???

Just put the culvert in the dirt. Drive over it and pack the dirt. My pond is the same with a creek. Five acres.

 

[Ken45101]

You probably don't want rocks and sand and concrete. Rocks and sand are porous and won't seal well. Concrete seals except where it joins something else. For what you are talking about, you want good CLAY. You know, the stuff that packs hard as a rock? Clay also expands as it gets wet, which helps seal it. You may want rocks and concrete for your overflow, but not as part of the dam unless you are excavating to bedrock first.

There is good information available on pond building and dams. I've only done a couple of very small ones. Check your local library and/or your local soil and water conservation office.

 

[redman135]

When laying the pipes MAKE SURE the water is discharged BEYOND the dam wall or the crosssing will be quickly destroyed. You will ned to plan for floods when you make the crossing, or the first good flood will destroy the crossing.
Good luck

 

[oosik]

You build a nice pond - likely to get beavers or muskrats as guests. They can tend to complicate the maintenance.

 

[Eagle1]

You build a nice pond - likely to get beavers or muskrats as guests. They can tend to complicate the maintenance.

I get a at least a pair of each ever year plus the mink and otters but I does provide evening or early morning entertainment.

 

[MF243RedTop]

Scape the ground free of loose rocks, fill in with good clay and compact it every layer you add in, dam side and spill side.. Stop filling in at the level you want the water to be and place your culvert pipes.. cover with clay... Compact..
Depending on how much water will be held back 10 ft pipes may not be long enough if you're laying them side by side.. earth dams are usually wider than tall..
If there's flowing water present.. you'll need to figure out a way to redirect around your dam area.. until finished.. can't be soggy wet when compacting only just wet enough for compaction. Clay too dry won't compact either..
Like mentioned above might want to read up on it a bit...
*Very important to compact as you go on every layer, dam side and spill side*

 

[Eagle1]

Also even for a small pond add an emergency spillway for flood water to go without over topping your "pond" dam. We have 20' spillway (or culvert in your case) and 120' emergency spillway. We've had it close to maxed out at over 24" deep flow during a massive flash flood even with 60" plus deep flow though the normal spillway.