Instant Pond

[bindian]

The pond is at full elevation right now. I had drained it numberous times in 2017, to continue digging, but the rain wouldn't cooperate. Maybe fully drained 4 times!

It still needs to be dug out deeper and sloped on the far end. It had ice on the far end this morning, as the photo shows. I still need to take out the remaining "finger" of the old dam and slope it towards the island.

It will stay full until the ducks quit laying eggs sometime around April, when I will drain it and resume digging. I also managed to install one duck nest last weekend. I'll get another duck nest up this weekend. You can read about the duck nests here, starting with post #93 http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/359501-my-place-cat-mahindra-ducks-10.html
hugs, Brandi

 

[Xfaxman]

Lookin gooder-un :thumbsup:

 

[bindian]

Thanks gooder n gooder.
hugs, Brandi

 

[ArmyDoc]

What type of permits did you need to get to undertake a project like this?

 

[bindian]

What type of permits did you need to get to undertake a project like this?

Uh..............why do you ask? It would be different from state to state
Brandi

 

[ArmyDoc]

I'm very interested in doing a pond. I've asked around but no one can tell me where to start. They only say the equivalent of "don't just do it, the EPA will get you." or the alternative, "just do a lined pond, then it's considered a pool and you don't need permits." Both of which make me think I need permits. I went on line and found a website a while back. But the phone number just went to voice mail and I didn't get a call back.

 

[bindian]

I'm very interested in doing a pond. I've asked around but no one can tell me where to start. They only say the equivalent of "don't just do it, the EPA will get you." or the alternative, "just do a lined pond, then it's considered a pool and you don't need permits." Both of which make me think I need permits. I went on line and found a website a while back. But the phone number just went to voice mail and I didn't get a call back.

I do know this took a lot of teeth out of the EPA..... Farmers Are Cheering Trump’s Repeal of an Environmental Rule That Doesn’t Affect Them – Mother Jones
Since I raise & sale Mallard ducks, it helps. I do know, from what I remember reading up on it, You are liable for damage caused down stream from a dam failure. Check with your state's department of Agricultural. But mostly, at least here, it is a county thing. So unless you hire an engineer, your are responsible for what you build.

Also, my county permit office uses FEMA's Google earth photos for building permits. FEMA has the 100 year flood planes marked on it and either they or the county adds your property lines. I found that out when I tried to put a storage building at the back corner of my property. The county told me where I could put the building. I told them it didn't flood during Hurricane Harvey and since then I had build that area up and . I was then told to have an engineer certify it is out of the flood zone and that it was expensive.

So research it until you feel good to proceed, or get an engineer involved. I don't like the idea my county can watch (in slow motion from above) what I do or where or what I can build. When I built my barn, I build it to code. Clear as mud, right?
The Grand Republic of Texas seems to be more easy going than other states on all this.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

What type of permits did you need to get to undertake a project like this?

From what I understand about the laws here in Texas, anybody can build a pond on their land without any sort of permit or government involvement if it's under 90 acres of surface water and if it does not affect a named creek or river. We have a lot of creeks without names to them, and from what I understand, you can dam them up without a permit. If you want some form of financial help in building a pond, and you can prove to whatever agency you go to for that help, they will create a list of rules that you have to follow. If you want to dam up a named creek, you need a permit from the River Authority over that creek or river. Usually they are the ones controlling the big reservoirs in the area. I have no idea who you talk to if you want it over 90 acres, but when I see ranches for sale that have really large ponds, they almost always mention that it was permitted.

 

[mike69440]

From what I understand about the laws here in Texas, anybody can build a pond on their land without any sort of permit or government involvement if it's under 90 acres of surface water and if it does not affect a named creek or river. We have a lot of creeks without names to them, and from what I understand, you can dam them up without a permit. If you want some form of financial help in building a pond, and you can prove to whatever agency you go to for that help, they will create a list of rules that you have to follow. If you want to dam up a named creek, you need a permit from the River Authority over that creek or river. Usually they are the ones controlling the big reservoirs in the area. I have no idea who you talk to if you want it over 90 acres, but when I see ranches for sale that have really large ponds, they almost always mention that it was permitted.

Here in lovely Live free or die NH you need wetland permit for a driveway culvert. If you do one without, make sure you are well liked in the neighborhood.

Docks and waterfront are monitored by satellite imagery, plus aircraft and conservation guys in boats. It used to be you could get a dump truck of sand and spread on ice in winter, hope for snow to hide what you have done. Come spring, you have a little beach.

There are 40 million dollar homes on Lake Winnipesaukee www.winnipesaukee.com Beach front is scarce when you can't make more.

To build my driveway and a 1/4 Acre of ponds, I had to retain an environmental company to do a $5,000 report and remediation plan, including vegetation and subsoil studies, endangered species habitat, plus pay the state 10 cents a square foot for any altered area. The state now technically has jurisdiction over those areas. Why do I have to pay the property taxes on the area still?
During our build process an abuttor (Could not consider him a neighbor, and since moved thank God!) made a complaint to the state. Lucky I'm an engineer and had made buddy buddy with the guys in the state DES and they walked me out of the paperwork mess.
Granted, my little ponds run in a few acre pond that feeds via a seasonal unnamed stream into a larger conservation recreation pond that also acts as the towns emergency water supply. At least they still let people swim in it, but that may change as population grows. My only beef is the state can pick on the little guys, and the whole process should be simpler. Also the big guys with political connections seldom get called to the carpet.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've heard stories like that before. Where I'm from in CA, a friend had some land. He was a retired city planer for the city of Oakland, and he enjoyed fighting city hall. Whenever somebody tried to put a new restriction on his land, he would go to their offices and pick through their dumpsters until he had enough dirt on them to either get them to change their mind, get somebody fired, or create a fun story for the evening news. It's amazing how many mangers use government money to pay off girlfriends!!!

Anyway, he wanted to build a pond on his land, but in order to do so legally, he had to get a permit. To get the permit, he had to be able to prove that the pond would not damage anything, cause any sort of change in run off, increase the amount of silt in the run off or affect any endangered animals. Since he had just gotten through dealing with proving that an endangered salamander didn't exist on his land, he knew getting the permit was impossible. But he also knew that if he had an existing pond, that he could legally clean it up and rebuild the dam without a permit. So that's what he did. He brought in a D5 dozer, took out a bunch of trees, cleared a pasture and built a dam. A week or so after it was done, and before any ran had fallen, they came in with helicopters and multiple trucks and cars to fine him and do what they could to make life as bad as possible. Being who he was, he just laughed at them and told them that he was fixing an old pond that had was over grown. They had pics and tried to prove that there was never a pond there, but he said it was before their pics and to get off of his land. Eventually they left and that was that. The pond filled up, we built a dock and they told him to remove it, and he said the same thing, the dock is where the old one used to be and he just rebuilt it the exact same size as the old one. It was greatnesss!!!!

 

[bindian]

I am also rebuilding (We call it mucking it out around here) my pond. Just like the first one I rebuilt. Now when the ducks don't like one pond, they can fly over my driveway to the other one.:duck:
hugs, Brandi:us-texas::cowgirl:

 

[mike69440]

Eddie

Dogs look much happier in the snow.

 

[bindian]

I have been waiting patiently for a window with no rain, me off, and the pond drained. So for the last couple of years, the pond was mostly drained all the time. The Honda pump has over 1500 hours and is purring right along, via the 5 gallon walk behind mower gas tank. It runs for about 24 hours on a tank full.

I had concerns about taking out the island. Really about getting over to it. To do this, I made a ram down the old dam out to where I could dig out the silt on the dam side of the island.

I then backfilled with clay from the dam to make a causeway to the island. I used 3 inch thick RED Oak mud mats I cut on my Woodmizer.

You can see the mud mats behind the CAT in this photo...........

These were the 2nd version of mats, the first being 2 inches think and not cut for the mud mat use.

After lots of practice moving the mats with the thumb, I got comfortable on the island and dug, dug, dug. Without the mats, digging on the island was like sitting on jello. Each bucket and/or boom movement caused movement under tracks. Unnerving, sitting on 15,000 pounds really to topple over.


All told, I have right at 37 hours on the CAT taking out the island. Most of the dirt was moved 3 times, and the silt was moved 4 times. If I would have had a tracked dumper (outbid last week at RBAuction in HOU) it would have been dirt handling only once. I would dig, pile it up on the ramp/causeway, then travel up on the dam and dig that pile up and put it on the dam, where the Mahindra's wheels wouldn't bog down. The ramp, causeway, and island had my feet, while walking on them, bogging down, but the CAT kept going as long as I was on muds mats when moving spoils.

Scary..............moving dirt can get monotonous, especially in the late afternoon with a clear, sunny sky. I have the 48 inch cleanout bucket on the CAT. I always dig with the windshield up. I bought the stick in too close with the bucket not fully curled and heaped up with soggy clay. I was awakened to dirt hit my hands, feet, and fan. I realized I was moving in a one track turn towards the water drop off of 4 feet. I stomped on the pedal only to have it finally stop after all the clay had fell on the pedal and moved it enough, while other clay fell under the upended end of the pedal. I traveled back up onto the dam and shut down. So much clay was inside with me and the controls, I had clay balls inside my fan's wire cage. Sorry no pictures.

Anyway, here is how it looks today......

hugs, Brandi

 

[Xfaxman]

Looking good :thumbsup:.

 

[bindian]

Here are a few photos through the years showing different stages of the pond and island. Towards the end you can see how current cut into the island. This was before I moved the dam to catch the ever flowing stream behind the original dam.

The ducks dabbling didn't help the eroded edges of the island either.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

You sure must hate that dam to put so much effort into getting rid of it!!! I have two ponds. My small 3/4 acre pond has an island. I built it so the ducks would have a safe place, but they pretty much ignore it and spend all their time next to the barn where we feed them when they are not in the water. Or they just sleep on the shore somewhere that makes it easy for the coyotes to kill them. The island is a total fail for duck safety, but I wouldn't want to put the effort into removing it. I also like the trees and brush that have taken it over.

 

[bindian]

Eddie,
The sleep on the pond, or onshore, or on the deck of the small pond. The geese are always in the water at night.
I really loved the island, but couldn't stand it washing away and silting up the bottom. I built a floating island for it, maybe with some nesting spots.
hugs, Brandi

 

[mike69440]

"I have the 48 inch cleanout bucket on the CAT. I always dig with the windshield up."

What's the matter? Don't like the taste of a little bit of mud?

 

[bindian]

"I have the 48 inch cleanout bucket on the CAT. I always dig with the windshield up."

What's the matter? Don't like the taste of a little bit of mud?

Mike,
You really need to understand what is being talked about. On excavators (bigger ones anyway), when the windshield is down, it is closed. To open the windshield, it rolls up and back over your head.
Brandi

 

[mike69440]

Yes I dig with front glass up also, except lately with the rain, cold, and mud we have been having in New Hampshire. Splot, splash and I get a face full of mud.

Sorry I misread.