Digging my small pond in the woods

[LD1]

Kinda a run-on of this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/287965-small-pond-question.html

I finally decided to go ahead and do it and get started.

Pics are hard to depict the size and depth, but its a little over 6' deep, which will give me a 5' water depth with where the elevation of the overflow stream.

Its also about 30' x 40' ovalish shaped.

Bout 3 hours BH time so far, with only about 1/2 of that digging and the other half spreading dirt. Still got a few ours dressing it up and spreading the rest of the piles with the kubota. The BH is just a bit big and clumsy in the woods:confused2:

I'll post some more pics when I get it all looking nice.

 

[teejk]

wow...did you check with your local DNR before you started??? In Wisconsin I think they would make you fill it back in and then build a new stream as your pennance (after you paid the fines of course).

 

[hawkeye08]

Don't be stealing any water... that is bad, bad, very bad.:laughing:

 

[LD1]

Here are some shots after a few more hours of moving dirt.

And here is a shot of where most of the dirt went. Everything just seemed to slope away from the creek and it just layed wet. Years of mucking the creek out, and not spreading the piles AWAY from the creek caused the banks to be higher than surrounding areas and not allowing water through.



Still a little more work to do to make it complete, and need to taper the sides a little more on the back, but I'll get there. Now just need some rain

 

[LD1]

wow...did you check with your local DNR before you started??? In Wisconsin I think they would make you fill it back in and then build a new stream as your pennance (after you paid the fines of course).

Nope, didnt check. I am not impeeding flow in any way, I am not daming anything up, and I am not changing direction of flow. just basically creating a low spot (a big one) in the existing creek where water will collect and not dry up in dry season.

I dont know how any of this could be classified as wetlands. It dries up in late fall and winter. Creek only flows in spring, and will continue to do so. And the pond that feeds this stream is mine, about 100 yards up-stream, and the county didnt mind me digging a pond there either. (I did check on that one). And at the time (last year) they told me there were no "wetlands" on my property to worry about, and no permits required to do any digging.


Farmers tile fields everyday to eliminate wet spots and wildlife. What I am doing is actually the opposite. I am creating one to encourage wildlife in the area:laughing: Maybe if someone does complain and I get told to fill it back in, I'll contact some tree-hugging groups and tell them that the Gov't wants me to kill a bunch of aquatic life by filling in the pond and letting things dry up every year, and kill all the frogs, crayfish, fish, etc.

 

[dave1949]

Looking good. Some straw or much hay on the newly graded area would be excellent.

I dug a small appendage to the stream that passes through our lot. The beavers had pulled up stakes and their pond was all dried out. Just to make a bit of quiet water, I dug next to the stream, only about 3' deep and 6' wide by 12' long, put some perching rocks in it.

The next year the beavers returned and created a ~3/4 acre pond, plus rerouted the stream! This year they started repairing the original dam, so there is some water now behind that too.

 

[teejk]

Nope, didnt check. I am not impeeding flow in any way, I am not daming anything up, and I am not changing direction of flow. just basically creating a low spot (a big one) in the existing creek where water will collect and not dry up in dry season.

I dont know how any of this could be classified as wetlands. It dries up in late fall and winter. Creek only flows in spring, and will continue to do so. And the pond that feeds this stream is mine, about 100 yards up-stream, and the county didnt mind me digging a pond there either. (I did check on that one). And at the time (last year) they told me there were no "wetlands" on my property to worry about, and no permits required to do any digging.


Farmers tile fields everyday to eliminate wet spots and wildlife. What I am doing is actually the opposite. I am creating one to encourage wildlife in the area:laughing: Maybe if someone does complain and I get told to fill it back in, I'll contact some tree-hugging groups and tell them that the Gov't wants me to kill a bunch of aquatic life by filling in the pond and letting things dry up every year, and kill all the frogs, crayfish, fish, etc.

If you checked with the county you should be ok. Around here the complaints usually start with the tree-huggers (not much else to do I guess). And I guess it is pretty much restricted to what they deem navigational water which you pay the property taxes on but they own it. At your estimates of depth, you are going to need a new camera to capture all the stuff you will attract. Get some swallow/martin houses out there though to eat the nasty bugs! And make yourself a helgramite screen (best perch bait ever).

 

[MacLawn]

Hmmm, that's what I need! You got me to thinking, LD (hey y'all, watch this). I've got a huge ditch caused by erosion over 80 years ago that would make a great pond. Well, keep the pics coming, I'm liking ye project.

 

[LD1]

Its pretty well finished right now. Just a tad mroe taper to the sides in the back and spreading out the rest of the piles. Might not have get any more done for a few days. It is sprinkling off and on today, and got several other things to do this week. But hope to get it finished soon. One good rain is all that is needed for it to fill up. But I dont plan on seeding it or anything. NAture will eventually take it back over.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I think that here in NC if you are under 10 acre feet of water the permitting process is much easier...
I have a small area behind my spring that would be an excellent pond area that feeds into a strong creek...
Nice job there LD1...
Get us some finished pictures...