Working in Ponds

[bgott]

I really, really tried to keep this thought to myself.


Looks like those boys in Georgia need to read up on this thread...looks like they're going to be doing some work in a pond themselves.

 

[ewoss3]

patrickg, just use a pickup in place of the second tractor, we used to use this method for pulling a supply barge to and from a friends island cabin.

 

[patrickg]

ewoss3,
The pickup/second vehicle idea hadn't escaped me. I have a 4wd Dodge Dakota which is a candidate for such a light duty task. Don't want to use the Dodge 4x4 or is that 6x6 3500 dually diesel... too heavy, churns up the ground too much and its 12000 lb winch is too slow if I thought of trying that. My problem is just a single driver, me. I need a way to do it with one driver that isn't such an inefficient method that Rube Goldberg would think it excessive. That is one of the reasons that I am attracted to the suction dredge idea, only one operator required. My needs have grown since the rural water district layed their main line in the right of way I granted them. They churned up a lot of dirt and the rains have washed much of it into one of my largest ponds. I have 8 ponds, most of which need some de-silting. If it were just one pond, I'd ask a neighbor for help and do something for them in return but this is going to be like burying an elephant(a large undertaking) and I don't think it as appropriate as it would be if it were a smaller task.
I'm open for other suggestions if you or any of the other members of the brain trust want to give it a whirl.

Patrick

 

[ewoss3]

big pulley on the far end with a light duty dragline to return the bucket. this will work but be slower becasue you will have to swap the lines. the other options, brothers, fathers, wives, nieces, nephews, I find my nieces are ideal for this type of work. The 11yrold drives the lawn tractor or truck and the 8 yrold hooks up and fetches the barley pop when I get parched

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Patrickg

The suction dredge idea should work okay. I remember seeing a small gold dredge that was basically what you describe. It was mounted on a small inflatable raft and they had models that could be worked by one or two men. You float it down a river (you need scuba) and suck the material off the bottom through the dredge. It is then screened and the solids are deposited elsewhere for later panning. That's basically the operation you are describing, except you wouldn't want to save the solids. So, you would need some way/place to dump the water where the solids would separate and mainly water would filter back into the pond.

If anybody sets up the bucket and line system, post some pictures or plans or something.

SHF

 

[patrickg]

SHF, I once had an electronics tech working for me to get a grub stake to go back to the gold fields of Northern California. He told me about dredging. He had a Keene brand dredge on pontoons and used a hookah (sp?) rig (SCUBA type regulator but the air supply is from the surface not tanks on your back. I designed a heat exchanger for him that used engine heat to warm up water and pump it down to him. A surgical ruber manifold and distribution system inside his wet suit dumped the hot water where he wanted it and the excess just escapes without inflating the suit.
There is a warm comfortable feeling experienced by many SCUBA divers that has to be experienced after a good long time below the thermocline or in cold water to be appreciated. I won't describe it here but use your imagination or if you are a diver YOU KNOW what I mean. Anyway, I digresssssssssss...

My first thoughts on this pond dredging (mentioned in a previous post) was to box blade some contour saw tooth shaped berm-ditches, fill them with straw for filter material, and pump the water-sediment mix above the highest "ditch". It should fill with water and sediment and over flow mostly water with some sediment to the next lower ditch, and so on through all the contoured ditches eventually returning discolored water with little suspended sediment to the pond. Note: all 8 of my ponds have fairly extensive sloped grass covered slopes above them on at least one or more sides. I might try this without the "filter medium" and depend on a low flow rate for the volume of the ditches to let most of the sediment settle out.

What I haven't researched yet is the required horse power, pump volume-pressure requirements for the head of pressure to be overcome due to the height above the surface of the pond to up the hill where I want to discharge the water-sediment mix.

Having just pumped 7 1/2 yds of concrete through a 2 in ID hose last tuesday I feel some better about trying to pump sediment although it is with different pump technology. I hope to figure out a cost effective approach unlike putting footprints on the moon.

Anyone out there in the brain trust have experience with pumps that can pump soupy mud with some sand but no hard chunks larger than say a pea, a lima bean, a peach pit or whatever? I have no experience on what it takes to pump what as all my previous pumping experience was with uncontaminated liquids (with the exception of the rented concrete pump.)

Patrick

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Patrickg

I know what you mean. When I still had time for diving, we used to "preheat" our wetsuits with gallon jugs of water before going in. Lake Michigan in March and April can be a bit nippy. Worst part is getting all warm and snuggy swimming around and then reaching for something and opening that wonderful void under your armpit. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

The multiple filter idea sounds like a winner, you might want to keep some extra filter medium on hand since I would expect the straw to plug up pretty fast.

Keene is a popular brand for dredges. I believe the company name is Keene Engineering?

SHF

 

[micromike]

I've been exploring ways to dredge silt out of a small lake on which I live. I talked to the guy who pumps my holding tank, (can't have a septic field next to the lake) and he uses a trash pump which is a centrifical pump driven by a gas engine. My research shows they come in 2" 3" and 4" suction hose sizes. The 4" is reported to be able to pump a slurry of mud, roots, rocks etc. up to tennis ball size.

Below are a couple of links to Turbo Turf Hydroseeding systems, which pump a slurry of grass seed and mulch to seed lawns. They use a centrifical pump set up to do this which is the closest I have been able to come for some technical info. thus far.

http://www.turboturf.com/
http://www.turboturf.com/How_They_Work.htm

Northern Tools sells trash pumps or you might be able to rent one I would think. And I saw a used 2" trashpump and motor for sale a few weeks ago in our local penny saver for $200. I


I'm going to try this when the weather warms up. I'll let you know how it works.

Anyone else had any experience using a trash pump?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Patrick


There are two types of divers - those who know exactly what you mean...

and those who won't admit it !!!

 

[patrickg]

Absolutely, Stan!
You might be amused to know that this was the inspiration for the prototype "heated suit" that I put together to stay warm in winter while cleaning the bottom of my sailboat. I put an aerator to hose barb adaptor on the galley sink pressurized faucet and ran a garden hose down the neck of my wet suit. Worked real good so for my tech I went to the surgical rubber manifold distribution scheme and incorporated a heat exchanger with his Keene dredge's engine exhaust and made him a happy dredger as previously his season was restricted by how cold of water he could tollerate.
I eventually went to a semi-dry (comfort) suit for winter and below the thermocline use. Southern California's costal upwelling keeps the coastal waters pretty cool year round except for the immediate surface to a few feet. Haven't dived any of my ponds yet, should be pretty warm in mid to late summer. So far I have only been waist deep in one while clearing a six inch overflow pipe. It had willow roots down in it that were 14 feet long virtualy plugging it such that overflow bypassed the dam and washed out a dozen T posts.

Patrick