Building our new dam

[PatrickS2222]

Was a bit woosy for a day - Ok again next morning, and had a lazy Sunday just doing a couple of small jobs, so no real work done, also Olympic Games causing some added lethargy I'll be into it next weekend - I want it finished! :licking:

 

[PatrickS2222]

Hi All, thought I'd let you know I haven't burrowed to China and fallen through the other side! :laughing:

Spending a lot of time on the loader finishing, tidying and preparing to spread topsoil ready for seeding as well as some transplanted cooch runners. So I had to put a thin layer of clay on the outside to help with soil stability and to assist with preventing erosion, it might also hold a bit of moisture and help the grass stay alive. I have begun to compact the outer sloping surface, also spending considerable time "tramping" with the drott's tracks. They're only about 12" so it takes a while, and it has to be done twice. Another benefit is that the slope is now a much better gradient - I'm really happy with it, as I expected it would stay quite a bit steeper. Don't expect me to drive my ride-on mower there to keep it neat though!

Some more pics ..... finally! :thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

Love the look of tracks all over a dam!!!!

I'm curious why you left that tree there? Will they survive having all that dirt over their root system? And how will you stop the roots from growing through your dam into the pond and then allowing water to flow along the roots out of your dam? Here, roots from trees are a big reason for leaks in dams.

 

[PatrickS2222]

Hi Eddie, yes, I think they look kinda neat too I especially like them horizontal, so as to slow water run-off and help catch fine silt.
Driving up that bank is heart-stopping at times though ..... you can't relax for a second!
That tree might die, but the soil is built up only a couple of feet there. It should survive. I left it there for two reasons:
The trunk is almost 3 feet diameter - the only thing I have to bring it down is a chainsaw;
The original intended diameter of the dam was a bit smaller and would've just passed beside that tree.

 

[EddieWalker]

Good luck with the tree. In my experience, it's always best to remove any that are even close to questionable as soon as possible. It will always be harder in the future. I've also learned that no matter how big or nice a tree is, once gone, I never miss it

 

[PatrickS2222]

You may be right on both counts - I'll keep an eye on it and see how healthy it looks as time progresses. I had thought of the roots sucking up a bit of water, but hadn't realised their capability of creating leaks. I do appreciate you pointing it out, and thank you for that. :thumbsup:
It's a big dam ..... but that's also a rather big gumtree too. Additionally, it's only 15 feet from the boundary fence If in time it becomes evident that I have to, I'll grab my chainsaw - give my block-splitter some fresh fuel and all three of us a little exercise, and top up my firewood pile! :laughing: Though I'm not sure it'll fall in any particular direction either!
I've been pushing myself to finish it, currently I have about one hour between getting home from work and dusk, so I've been continuing to tramp the outside wall as per pics ..... about 75% done. I have to then do the same on the inside of the wall, spread some topsoil on top and down the outside - and then I can finally plant grass seed.

 

[shaeff]

It's looking great, Patrick! That track machine is hugely beneficial! I wouldn't want to try and drive any wheeled machine up those inclines.

 

[bindian]

I may be wrong from just looking at the photos, but your soil looks more like loam, then clay. It might just be the camera and angles of the photos. My first pond has this nice red clay and it packed great. It doesn't leak. You can make it into a ball and throw it and it does not fly apart.


But my second pond has more a mix of loam and clay and it leaks bad. It didn't pack that well. Make a ball and throwing it.........it flies apart.
hugs, Brandi

 

[PatrickS2222]

Hi Shaeff, you're correct there! The "Pucker" level is at times notable though, even with tracks. It scratches and squirms a bit because of the loose surface, but generally drives up the bank better with a full bucket - the weight must hold down the front of the tracks a bit so the machine doesn't just sit on the "heels" instead.
G'day Bindian, yes, although I reckon our soil is worse than yours! Most of what you see in photos is subsoil I used to build the bulk of the dam wall, or shots of the outside. I did put a bit of clay over the outside to help minimise erosion and also it might hold a bit of moisture to help the grass seed start off. It has mixed with the soil though, so it might look strange. But there was really good clay I was digging out after the subsoil, this clay I used to line the inside of the wall, about two feet thick, although it gets a bit thinner near the top. I haven't dug any deeper because it's really hard going and I've no real need for anymore clay. It will fill to about 12 feet deep, which will be plenty water in addition to our other dam, which is not much smaller.
Today I put four pipes in place to release the overflow - which will help fill our neighbour's dam if it isn't also full. We got 3/4" of rain in a storm last night. This moistened perfectly some dry clay "powder" which was loosened from using the track-loader in the dam. I used several shovelfuls of this to seal a bit of a "collar" around the pipes to prevent seepage between them - not necessary, but it will help keep things together. It was perfect for that, and good enough to practice clay-modelling I reckon!
I'll try to take some good pics for you.
Yesterday I rechecked levels with laser - on loan from my other great neighbour - and found I had made a dumb error. Everywhere else was right, but the height where the pipes were to go looked too high. :confused2: I found just there I had marked the height of the receiver, not the bottom of the pole! It was about 15" higher than they really should be - that is why the bank looks so high there - about 15" higher than it needs to be. :laughing: Doesn't really matter though. Glad I realised now though.
I then topped up a couple of uneven spots on top, spread the remaining "topsoil" and picked out a few stray sticks etc. Today, after lunch I tramped the whole outside and the top again with the tracks - I felt more comfortable having done it once more - especially after some rain. Looks nice and even now. :thumbsup:
Tomorrow after work will be fertiliser and seed - another 1/2 to 3/4" of rain forecast for Tuesday, so I really need that seed in the ground!
A couple more pics:

 

[bindian]

Patrick,
Glad to hear about lining it with clay. It all looks great. Do you have a spillway? A little higher than the pipes? Reason I ask is a huge storm can put debris in the pipes, slowing the discharge rate, making water go over the dam's lowest spot and eroding. Or it erodes going around the end of the dam. I have so much runoff into my large pond, my 24 inch overflow pipe can't keep up and I have had a foot of water going over the spillway.
Again................it looks great. Can't wait to see it with grass growing!
hugs, Brandi