I finally started my pond

[bindian]

I have been monitoring the pond leaking water past the overflow culvert. A week ago Friday, I noticed water bubbling in the middle of my driveway. I immediately drained the pond down and starting digging around the overflow culvert's end concrete. I put concrete around it when I realized the culvert was too low, and I didn't want to raise the culvert. I spliced in, an end plug on the culvert and cut out the top. I sealed all the splice seams with concrete. Then I built a form and poured concrete. This has worked for 8 years.

But while I am working enlarging the island pond, the ducks have made the small pond their nightly home. They have dabbled all around the dam and the concrete.

So, last Saturday, I dug the dam out around the culvert behind the existing concrete and install forms for concrete. Nothing is square as I was in a hurry to get the concrete poured before dark. Besides, it will all be covered with dirt.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Last Sunday, I removed the forms and filled the pond just below the new work. I added white stones around the base of the existing concrete to prevent the ducks from dabbling.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I was able to fill and pack in around the new and old concrete yesterday.

Then I filled the pond to leak check the overflow culvert. So far, this morning, no leaks noted. You can see the one corner that is not level with the water. This was level when first installed, 8 years ago.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Been awhile since I posted. Here are the ponds a couple of weeks ago when we had record temps., ice, and snow. This was Monday, the 15th of Feb.

The last day of the freeze, the small pond froze over. Here are the ducks getting used to the ice. It was Friday, the 19th.

They are so funny getting their ice legs. I have a video on my phone where they are flying from the uniced large pond to the small pond. They landed and skied. One drake lost his balance and went down on one leg slidding on his belly.
hugs, Brandi

 

[sandman2234]

I can only imagine how they feel when they expect a nice smooth landing and the touch down is hard and slick!

 

[bindian]

The second time I got them to fly from the large pond to the small pond, they flew over it and landed at my feet.
hugs, Brandi