What I did last summer(s) - never again

   / What I did last summer(s) - never again
  • Thread Starter
#11  
For the most part, my water source is runoff. The pond is located in a natural depression so it fills pretty easily. There is also some ground water supply from a small spring or something. Not much, but enough to make things pretty sloppy. I used a gas powered ejector pump (I think it is called a trash pump) to keep the water level down or drain the pond as necessary. When I needed to dig the smaller hole, I had to drain the larger one. Fortunately for me, the clay that makes up my soil dries to a rock-hard cracked surface. It is slipperier than an eel when wet so I had to make sure it was entirely dry before heading into the hole with the tractor.

My next idea for the pond is to have a well driller come in and drill a well nearby. I want to build a small pump house for irrigation of a nearby orchard as well as run an aerator if needed or perhaps even a little waterfall feature (that’s momma’s idea, not mine). My concern is tapping into the ground water supply for what is essentially a luxury item. I want to research it more before I decide to go to that level.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again
  • Thread Starter
#12  
One thing I forgot to mention...a mistake. As I dug the big hole, I completely forgot about a drain. The time to consider it was as I was building the berm. I could have fashioned a drain low into and through the berm with the inlet to the drain next to and at the top of the berm. I didn't consider it until the big hole filled the first year and overflow went around the side. So when I drained the big hole in preparation for digging the smaller one, I included a shallow trench that ran from the drain under the dock and around the berm. My rational for that is that I didn’t want a drain sticking up through the ice for kids to find when they went skating. Under the dock is non intrusive. My problem is now that I have a leak somewhere near the drain. I think the water is leaking out around the drain pipe and then into the ground somewhere along the drain path. It doesn’t exit from the drain outlet. So my pond’s steady-state water level is about 12-15 inches lower than I want it to be. I guess I could drain the pond once more, remove the existing drain, breach the berm and put in a deeper one. I’m thinking that is too much work and am exploring alternatives.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again
  • Thread Starter
#13  
I just took some pictures of the present state of affairs. As I mentioned the water level is down about 12-15 inches due to the leak.
 

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   / What I did last summer(s) - never again
  • Thread Starter
#14  
Another. Sorry about the lighting. The sun is in the front right quarter.
 

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   / What I did last summer(s) - never again #16  
Obvisouly a lot of blood sweat and tears but you have one beautiful pond now Dutchman...

The large rocks are a great addition.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again #17  
Dutchman, really nice job... one of the best I've seen yet.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again #18  
Nice job. Looks like the pond belongs there.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again #19  
Great job! Looks natural and relaxing.
 
   / What I did last summer(s) - never again #20  
Looks very nice. Did you stock fish? If so, what kind?
 

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