Creating a Lake

[Farwell]

A hundred dollar bill for every hour?!? You planning on retiring rich? Heck, I'd like to have a dollar! I could probably buy a nice tractor implement! Possibly even a tractor!

Glowplug,
I was thinking of buying one of those Beverly Hills mansions. They do grow corn in Beverly Hills don't they?
I have read all 600+ posts and wait anxiously for the next one. I was really saddened when the thread ended on the engine repair for Eddies dozer.
David

 

[rico304]

I can't think of a better way to mess up some good land than to go off half cocked building a pond. Ponds need to be designed and built according to a well conceived and engineered plan.
Yea, you might get lucky, but more often than not, a poorly though out pond construction job becomes a disaster.

We obviously don't agree on the messing up land theory, but the rest of his statement is correct.
That is why I'm happy that this Lake was / is a well conceived and engineered plan that was well thought out!

 

[mudcat]

Sometimes a persons popularity is frowned upon. Jealousy? Ignorance? Who knows. Like stated above anyone who has followed this thread knows the time, dedication and forethought put into this project. I hope Eddie gets a BIG RAIN so he can post a KMA photo.

 

[NorthwestBlue]

Eddie,

I'm one of the many who read this thread regularly, content to watch and learn from you and the many others who supply insiteful comments, earnest questions, and atta boys. It caught me off-gaurd when I read those two posts, as they were far and away the opposite to everything that has been posted on your thread to date. So I just have to say don't let it get to you, keep up the good work, and keep the posts and pictures comin'.

 

[ronjhall]

I can't think of a better way to mess up some good land than to go off half cocked building a pond. Ponds need to be designed and built according to a well conceived and engineered plan.
Yea, you might get lucky, but more often than not, a poorly though out pond construction job becomes a disaster.

Having visited Eddies place.
If there is/was any messing up of land. It was done by the Army back in the 40's.

 

[gsganzer]

I think Eddie's pond will be fine. He put a lot of research into it and had a tremendous amount of input from some very knowledgeable folks here on TBN and elsewhere.

We did have a dam fail near me. The tank was about 10- 15 acres. The dam was packed clay with no rip-rap or concrete spillway or overflow pipe. My next door neighbor voiced his concerns that he thought there spillway would wash out (the acreage draining to this pond is sizable, probably 2,000 - 3,000 acres). The first rain filled the tank to a magnificent size and water started over the spillway, that started the ball in motion. Every subsequent rain resulted in a lower water level as a groove started to get eaten through the spillway. Once a groove starts getting eroded, there's almost no way to stop it.

The builders messed up that pond up on a couple of points:

• They underestimated the sheer volume of run-off during a big storm, due to the size of the watershed acreage.

• 
  They didn't have any type of normal overflow path, culverts etc. The spillway should only be shedding water during extreme events, so the vegetation can take hold.

• 
  They didn't grade to allow for a "sheet" flow over the spillway. This would have allowed the velocity of the overflow to be lower and less concentrated, minimizing the channel getting eroded

• 
  In the case of their design, they needed some riprap and or concrete

Again, this tank was sizable with a huge watershed area. There would normally be a constant inflow and outflow during typical seasons that they never allowed for. It was a shame to see that dam fail, it was fixin' to be a great duck hunting place that would have attracted a ton of ducks that travel between the larger Corp of Engineers lakes in the area.

If anyone has Google earth, you can see the failed dam at Latitude 33°17'15.43"N, Longitude 97°10'9.28"W

 

[slowzuki]

I hope my post was not seen as negative, I was just trying to think why someone would make a vague comment. Judging by the amount of time to fill up, I don't think Eddie has the kind of rain that other areas have to deal with.

I saw pictures of the spillway a while back and it seemed the grass hadn't grown on it yet. Perhaps the poster was worried about the unsodded spillway eroding?

 

[firemanpat2910]

Glowplug,
I was thinking of buying one of those Beverly Hills mansions. They do grow corn in Beverly Hills don't they?
I have read all 600+ posts and wait anxiously for the next one. I was really saddened when the thread ended on the engine repair for Eddies dozer.
David

me too but I bet Eddie and his dad were glad to be done with it

 

[ArkLaTexSam]

My area has man made lakes and ponds all over the place. Most of them were made by land owners that had a lot of ambition just like Eddie. These were not College Grads or engineer's. Just simple people that did their homework and made a dream into life. They are all full of water and none have failed.


ArkLaTexSam

 

[EddieWalker]

THANK YOU guys for your support and encouragement. Since klm and hillbillyfarmer haven't replied, I'll just have to assume they were having a bad day and chose my dam as the source of there frustration.

One of the main reasons I'm here is to learn how to do things right and better than I know how. I truly want people to offer critism or ask questions on things they think I'm doing wrong. I'm just an amature here working on my land and most of what I do is learned from what I've read or I'm told. It sure doesn't mean I know what I'm doing!!!!!

I'm very concerned that my dam might fail. It's always a possibility, so if I've done soemthing wrong, or can do something more, than please let me know. Just telling me I'm an idiot and not explaining why isn't very benificial or very helpful at fixing my mistakes.

I took another picture of the spillway today. It's still hard to tell what's going on by the picture because the dirt all sort of blends it together. The light colored areas are bermuda grass that has gone dormant on me. There is still grass that is sprouting and comeing up, but that's just baby grass. The mature, established stuff is all brown.

As you can see in the picture, the land is almost totaly flat. If I get any erosion, it will be very miniman and easy to repair. At no time will the dam be affected by water running through the spillway. When it does overflow, I'll be sure to update it with more pictures as I'm dying to see how it all works out.

The water is still rising, but slowly. The plants on the island are all in water now and there's only a few islands still above the water.

The last picture shows the overall view of the lake as of today.

Thank you,
Eddie