Creating a Lake

[Nat]

Hey, Eddie . Did you get any water in the lake from all the rain ya'll are getting? Vickie and I are leaving to come out your way next week, we were worried about wildfires, and on TV this morning we see people flooded from their homes in Dallas, you must have even stranger weather than us. Later, Nat

 

[RobJ]

Hey Eddie here is a few interesting lake pics for you. A friend down the street is putting in this lake. Block off a spring fed creek. I might have mentioned earlier he used 4 24" pipes for his overflow on another lake. I asked him about that this weekend, he said he had to do that because a county road was close to the dam and any run off went into the creek below. This lake is a bit different. He's using a 6" drain with a valve and spill pipe (whatever you call it). He has yet to add another section to get the water level up more. Below the dam is a drainage ditch that runs into a larger creek. The area below is low and flat. He can flood from the pond for duck hunting or to water a hay field. Interesting. Firt pic you can see the drain valve (huge) and the 6" pipe stand. Concrete around the area to control the errosion. He plans on putting a spiget (sp?) so he can fill a water tank, wash his truck, etc. Should be plenty of water pressure on the line. For the pond overflow he ran the dam out wide of the pond to divert water away from the main dam and into a pasture. This is for the flooding type rains, etc. You can sort of see it in the picture, it's the black soil that tapers off.

 

[RobJ]

Next pic backup the hill. The spring fed creek is doing it's job. The water in the foreground (of the dirt mound) wastn't there 24 hours earlier. We were riding atvs there the day before. The lake will back up in the creek about 1000 feet. The dozer is a Cat D6. He has about 60 hours doing this so far. He's in his late 60's and is an absolute pro with any and all heavy equiptment. He's don it all his life. I told my wife he could icing a weeding cake with a track hoe.

 

[RobJ]

Pic of the dam, the atvs will give you some sort of size reference. Again a day later there is water below that atv now. He had more work to do around the drain pipe but I don't think he realized it was going to fill up that fast. He was in houston this weekend for the last show of the rodeo.

 

[RobJ]

one more shot of the dam and the island he built over by the dozer.

 

[EddieWalker]

Rob,

That's quite a hole your friend dug. Did you say he did it all in 60 hours???? Man, I'm sure feeling slow compared to him. I'm will into the hundreds of hours and expect to need another hundred more. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Maybe you can make me feel better and tell me he's digging in sand or somethingl like that. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Just kidding.

I'm a big fan of those who know what they are doing and how much faster they can get things done!!!!

Nat,

We were expecting 3 inches out of last weekends storm, so I closed the valve on the drain to see what would happen. I also wanted to see how much water would get into the lake even with me diverting allot of my run-off away from it. My main road is crowned with ditches directing the water off to the sides for now.

Everyone Else,

Thanks for the help identifying the Red Bud. I've always heard of it, but for some reason never made the connection.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

One of the reasons I wanted the drain to be on the bottom is to pull silt out when it's flowing. It makes sense to me, but I still want to see the results.

Here's the discharge of the pipe as it goes into the creek.

Eddie

 

[RobJ]

Hey Eddie, Yes old Edwin would be called a pro for sure. He started that pond on March 11th. The first of my pictures were taken on the 17th. The brush/trees were already gone. He can get it done in 1-2 passes where Itd take me a morning. I'll have to get a picture of the overflow bypass, eyballed all the way but a perfect curve in it.

Some sand on top but before the water covered it we saw that sort of multi colored rock hard clay. He said it was giving the D6 a bit of a load.

You might double check on the drain on the bottom. If you run it a couple times a month it may not clog but a lot of silt will fall as the water clears. You can see Edwin angles his up. The 6" pipe has holes all around it.

Keep up the good work!

 

[RobJ]

Hey Eddie!! Time to bounce this back up and get an update. It's been 2 weeks since I posted that other friends pond. Since that time they've gotten 5 inches of rain and the pond is FULL!! It didn't back up quite as far as he wanted but I think he said he's got a couple ideas to back it up more. He wants a long shallow area to bring in some ducks in the winter.

Some pics....

Before (actually 3/18/2006)

 

[RobJ]

Then last Saturday, 4/1/2006.

 

[RobJ]

Last one..

 

[EddieWalker]

Rob,

Thanks for the update and pictures. The lake looks amazing. I'm very jelous!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm not familiar with your area, but will the grass fill in and make a nice pasture around the lake?

Nothing new here. I got the turbo back awhile ago. I decided to put new hoses on it and had to special order those. Then the oil supply line had a different angle to one end, so I had to replace that fitting. Of course it was an odd size and it took two days of running around to find one that would fit. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

After I got it all together, I ran it for awhile in idle to make sure it was ok. No leaks, no smoke, it's all good.

About 4 hours later it started smoking again just as bad as before. Same place too. Right where the trubo connects to the elbow that leads to my muffler.

From what I've read online, if there's oil from the back of the turbo, that means the seals are leaking. I called magestic turbo and they said they'd take it apart and put new seals in it again. So I took it out and will go to Waco tomorrow.

One of these days I'll be posting pics like you did of a full lake!!!!

Eddie

 

[RobJ]

Bummer on the dozer.

Yes the hill will fill up with grass. He has to drag it to smooth it out, then plant something. It's some nice sandy loam that all around the area. We are south of ********* about 10 miles.

I was just curious as to how your lake handled the rain. Still draining and such. The ponds around here in the hills did well. The ones in the flatter areas that don't catch as much run off didn't fair as well.

 

[Nat]

I can now tell you from seeing it that Eddie's projects are a lot larger in scale than we see here on his posts. From the "Creating an entrance" to "building a shop and house" to creating a lake these are big projects.
Eddie doesn't think small!!!!!!
We visited for a couple days and I came away with a lot of respect. He is creating a huge project there and when he finishs it will be a multi million dollar place. He has planned it down to a degree that I wouldn't have believed. Until you see it you won't believe the scope of it. He is creating a beautiful RV resort there. I came away with the feeling that Eddie researchs anything he does well before hand, and starts with a game plan in mind. Vickie was realy impress with some of his storage ideas and how the bathhouses are going to be. She said that is the way they should all have been done to begin with but I guess no-one though of it.
As for what he knows about equipment, he shouldn't take a backseat to anyone.
When he has talked about the berms, or shooting ranges that were there before he bought the place I could not imagine the sheer scale of them. They are huge and he has moved a lot of it and still has more to go. There is one place where you can walk down the top of one berm and see out over the lake on one side and look over some of the prettiest hardwood trees and a park areas you cam ever see. Some of the trees on his place are huge, and he has designed parts of the resort around them. When finished you will be able to sit under some big Paperbark Birch trees and look out over the lake, or choose to meander over to a giant Post Oak and watch the ducks on the lake or maybe climb up the 45' tall earthern berm and sit on a bench and look over the lake on one side and down into a landscaped park on the other.
If you care to go into the resort store you can see most any big game trophy imaginable or walk out back and watch them in a natural sitting in a preserve area.
All in all I am very impressed. I certainly enjoyed the visit, and hope to return just to help him out for a while and then go back when it is done to visit the resort.
For a womans perspective Vickie thought it will be a great place to spend a while visiting his park and she wants to go back, I wonder if the 1st monday sale has anything to do with that?
She also wants to know where he can find shirts that will fit his arms?
BTW Steph bakes the best cookies I have tasted, and she is prettier in person that Eddies pictures even show.
I also believe he likes NC bar-b-cue, I wasn't sure till the 3rd or 4th one.
later, Nat

 

[EddieWalker]

Nat,

Steph and I enjoyed having you Vickie, Flash and Becky out here and look forward to seeing all of you again. You're welcome here anythime.

Thank you for your kind words. Hopefully I'll be able to live up to them. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Like all projects, it's only big if you look at the whole thing. I just break it down into small little projects and do what I can on each of them. Just like building a house, just bigger. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Eddie

 

[Nat]

Eddie how is the dozer repair going? found the problem yet? I was sure it would be a seal in the turbowhen you explained what it was doing. Any progress on any other projects?
Vickie said you need a sawmill so you can saw some of the pines up into small logs, like 3" x8" to make your cabins. Just saw them up, let them air dry and then make small log cabins. She sure never tells me I need to buy something like that. Later, Nat

 

[EddieWalker]

Nat,

I've been chasing my tail with the dozer. I've had the turbo rebuilt twice and figured it wasn't the problem. Then I've gone over everything else it could be and keep comeing up empty. Basically wasting time and money looking for something that doesn't exist.

Yesterday I said enough and ordered a new turbo. It should be here on Monday. I've wasted months on this problem trying to do it cheap and in the end it's cost me time I can't get back.

Sometimes it works out, this time it's been a disaster. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I've redone my invetion a few times and think I got it now. The pins were too weak and that pivot point was bending. Now it's raining out and too muddy to do anything.

Tell Vickie that I thought about a mill and using the lumber for the buildings, but backed away from the idea when I tried to do the numbers and what the savings would be compared to the price of a mill versus what lumber costs and the time it would take to cut it up.

Some of the pines will be saved for beams in the store. I've come up with a new plan for the store and resturant that takes better advantage of the location. Everytime I test out the dozer, I work on the pad a little more each time.

Now that it's taking shape, I'm seeing a different design for that building. Simpler with more square footage and a better view into the wildlife preserve. It also takes into consideration the ability to have a resturant down the road without any further building or modifications.

I have been working on my cabin plans and really appreciate your suggestions. I was looking at them from a totally different angle and after talking to you, see thing differently now. Thank you.

Tell Vickie that we all said hi,
Eddie

 

[MMM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( price of a mill versus what lumber costs and the time it would take to cut it up )</font>

You should be able to find somebody who'll saw it on halves. Pretty common with the portable mill operators over this way. 50% of it is better than beetles getting it all.

 

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You should be able to find somebody who'll saw it on halves. Pretty common with the portable mill operators over this way. 50% of it is better than beetles getting it all. )</font>
That's the deal I got to have the large timber cut off the lot I'm clearing. He cut the trees and sawed the lumber for 1/2 the proceeds, but I had to contend with the brush...

 

[Dscrew]

So did you get the dozer fixed yet?

Dave