Instant Pond

[bindian]

I've been wanting to dig another pond. You can read about the first one here http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/135413-i-finally-started-my-pond.html.One with an island for ducks. With 11 days off, I figured I could get'r done. First photo shows me clearing topsoil away. The 2nd and 3rd photos show me digging the dam core keyway trench. It was about 3 feet deep by 2 foot wide. I think that is enough as the dam is at the most, 5 foot high. I didn't have really a lot of clay, so I put clay in the core and the center of the dam and build up in 6 inch layers, packing each layer with my loader's front bucket full of clay. The 4th photo was taken from the dam of my first pond. The last photo show me digging a trench in the pond basin, looking for red clay. I found it in some places right below the topsoil. Other places it was under three foot of white clay.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

One thing you need for pond dam's is clay. My first pond was all clay after the topsoil, so I pushed huges loads of clay up the dam. It makes a nice slope and less hauling this way. On this new pond, I had to dig clay and fill at the same time, so at times I was dozing clay and fill dirt and at times I was hauling clay and fill dirt on the dam. The center core of the dam is all red clay, with fill made up of red, white, and yellow clay. This all shown in the first 5 photos. The last photo is showing Booger, my constant tractor buddy, wanting some attention.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

First photo shows both ponds can be seen from the kitchen window and the back porch. My driveway curves between the ponds. 2nd photo show the underground pipe from the first pond. It runs through the dam and under the driveway. I wanted it supply a water trough I thought would go there. Now I can hook a pump to it and fill the first pond, or just open it and fill the second pond.

3rd photo show me going up the building up the dam. I love doing all of this, but after a while, it all wears you out in the hot weather. Turning and going up the dam is slow going with the bucket loaded. I would rather travel up and down the dam, at an angle, with the bucket loaded then empty. Dropping that loaded bucket makes a great anchor when a rear tire dips down too low and moves the seat of your pants!

I really wanted an island in this pond. I decided my area was too narrow to build a pond, with an island, with the Big RED Beast. I did not want to use the backhoe digging this pond. I did that on my first, smaller pond and it ate up around 90 hours on the hobbs meter. I wanted to dig this pond with only the front loader hauling and dozing clay. So far this pond is about 80% finished and I have right at 28 hours on the hobbs meter. So I dug the pond to depth and shape, then piled the island back in. Since it is narrower than I wanted, I only have sloping end. No side slope for ducks to come and go at various water levels. The last photo shows the island taking shape. This all took place on the 9th. So 4 days and counting. So far I only had an 1/8 inch of rain Saturday night, the 7th and 1/8 inch Sunday morning, the 8th.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

So by now I am guess you wonder why I named this thread instant pond. I started it on the 5th and today is the 10th. I had to go to town this morning for more off road diesel. Before I could get the diesel supplement added and into 5 gallon cans, a thunderstorm dropped the bottom out and put 2.5 inches in my rain guage. I kept watching the new pond from the barn, noticing water about 1 foot deep. A few minutes later I looked again and got scared. The pond was about half full. By the time the rain stopped, the pond was full. Tomorrow I go buy the overflow pipe. I am thinking I need a 24 inch culvert for overflow. My smaller pond only has a 12 inch overflow culvert. My plan was to add an elbow to the first ponds overflow culvert and build a berm to direct it into the new pond. But not now. I have way plenty of water for the neighbor's water shed and the far side road ditch. The near side road ditch feeds my smaller pond via a earthen berm. Needless to say by the photos below, I have some major maintenance to do on the new pond. I was hoping to finish the dam this morning. The top 6 inches of clay wasn't even packed with the loader bucekt full. Just a lot of trips along the dam. I also need to seed real quick.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

Congrats on your hard work and timing!!!! Can't believe how quickly it filled on you, you sure planned it out just right.

Eddie

 

[radrock]

Congrats on your hard work and timing!!!! Can't believe how quickly it filled on you, you sure planned it out just right.

Eddie

It sure must be nice to work with that good dirt

 

[Gary Fowler]

I sure must be nice to get that much rain. Fast rain= good pond filler but not so good for ground saturation. We got about an inch or so this afternoon in about an hour which is more than we have had in the last 4 months combined.

 

[bindian]

Well, I just got back out to the pond and flagged where I want the overflow pipe to go and a couple of other photos. I am going to have to get a boat, as I want to plant a cedar tree out on the island, along with a small house for the ducks.
1st photo shows the new pond from the old pond's dam. My driveway is in the foreground. The 2nd photo shows the pond full and the orange ribbon stake I marked for the overflow pipe. I guess I will install a 24 inch overflow pipe. Compare this photo with the first one in post #1 where I am removing topsoil. Big difference.
Third photo shows a good shot of the sloped island that was not finished!
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Congrats on your hard work and timing!!!! Can't believe how quickly it filled on you, you sure planned it out just right.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie. I can't believe how fast it filled either. It has gone down about an inch now since I staked where the overflow will go. I am not sure I had good timing. This vacation was bid last November. I had it in my head I could do it after I saw major rain forecasted for over a week. Been getting just drops until this afternoon. So I dodged over 5 days of heavy area rain. I guess the good Lord was waiting for me to get my tractor out of the basin! Oh yeah............I got delayed yesterday afternoon while backing down the dam where the island is. I didn't turn fast enough backing down and hit the soft spot where I had already put the front wheel in up to the axle. That backhoe subframe really is a drag when the rear R1 goes down. This time I had to get some 2x12s for outrigger support in the soft clay and with the backhoe bucket, lifted the stuck tire up out of the suction. I was really lucky. I didn't really know how lucky until I stepped off the tractor and saw the clay under my foot move!
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

It sure must be nice to work with that good dirt

Radrock,
Yes, it is nice to work with. I could do this full time. I have iron ore near my road ditch. Now I know it goes down to the pond where runoff from the road ditch washed the top soil away. Look at that photo again. It had water falling about 18 inches! I might need to use that to fix the top of the dam!
Are you sitting on rock?
hugs, Brandi