How best to dam a creek?????

[Hay Dude]

Around here this is the only solution - you can't get permission to dam a watercourse and you aren't allowed to "interfere" with the wildlife if they move in...

We got all this “WOTUS” BS to keep in mind.
Anything bigger than a mud puddle could come under gubmit jurisdiction.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Around here this is the only solution - you can't get permission to dam a watercourse and you aren't allowed to "interfere" with the wildlife if they move in...

Just import a few beaver. You'll have a dam & pond in no time!

I know someone who actually did this.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

How can you get them to build where you want and without cutting down trees you don't want cut?
Maybe I'll order this and do it myself.

 

[Jstpssng]

How can you get them to build where you want and without cutting down trees you don't want cut?
Maybe I'll order this and do it myself.View attachment 882957

We'll need pictures.
Wasn't that a Stihl commercial?

 

[deezler]

Ok, mythical imported beavers aside, who here has ACTUALLY constructed a dam?

Sounds like basically no one, lotta dreamers (like myself) and folks who inherited one that was already constructed. We need some DIY examples

 

[japody]

Import a Beaver

Isn't that the truth?

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I built a dam for a small pond years ago with a friend who has an excavator. We put in pvc pipe with a Y so water flowed out as we worked. We packed clay, compacted it as we went and used sacks of pellitized Bentonite (stop leak) at base. When all finished with overflow at Y then capped it off to stop flow.
It's been working perfectly, 5 years ago.
This one I want flow over top of dam...a 9ft waterfall. I want it nice without spending a fortune.
Thanks all the help so far.

 

[paulsharvey]

Ok, mythical imported beavers aside, who here has ACTUALLY constructed a dam?

Sounds like basically no one, lotta dreamers (like myself) and folks who inherited one that was already constructed. We need some DIY examples

So, on a small scale; yes; we have constructed sandbag dams for pump around of wet ditch systems. It is not a 1 to 1 comparison however. Upto about 36" of water head, we really aren't dealing with much more than a large ditch block with a overflow control. Once we go much over 36"; we start getting into another area.

Water is heavy. If we have a 25 ft x 25 ft area, 3 ft deep; we have almost 1900 cubic feet of water/around 15000 gallons. That is smaller than many semi permanent above ground pools. We probably are looking at around 130,000 lbs worth of water, which is a good bit; but we arent in Engineered structure territory.

 

[paulsharvey]

I believe our OP stated the area is approx 8 ft lower than surrounding grades. I would want to keep my dam down at least 24" from that point. Dont want a major storm event to flow around the dam, and scour it from 4 sides. We might be just fine placing our gated control structure at 36"? That would allow for a max depth with a closed gate at 54". That's plenty for swimming, watering animals, sitting by and drinking beer, whatever. I just wouldn't try to get this Dam upto pasture grade by any means without a Lot more than I'm talking about.

With a 36" invert, and a 54" max depth; we can still have another 24" of good compacted coverage over our pipe and be at 78". Now; I might have my spillway at say 66", but I would offset that spillway from my pipe location. Even with the soil cement bags, I wouldn't want to risk erosion right on top of my pipe.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Back when I first moved on the my property we dammed a small creek and created a pond. We have clay soil so it's pretty easy. A hi-hoe and a sheepsfoot roller was all that was needed.