More Pond, or How To Reduce Flooding

[OkeeDon]

Hey, Brad! Long time no hear from. For those who don't know, Brad is my closest TBN neighbor, Palm City is like the next closest town to both Port St. Lucie and Okeechobee. Yep, the cost of fill by the truckload is exactly why we're enlarging the ponds. $100 to $120 per truck load is the cheapest we've found; the trucks are 18 to 20 yard capacity, making the lowest possible cost at $5 per yard. I'm having the pond work done for less than $2 per yard.

As I mentioned, I was tied up most of today and didn't get many pictures. The first one shows the progress they made since yesterday.

 

[OkeeDon]

Next, a shot across the yard showing the old pond and how far we have yet to go. In the background is where we are dumping the dirt. The pump in the foreground was used this morning to lower the water level so they could start digging again.

 

[OkeeDon]

Last one for this evening shows the bowss on the loader. More tomorrow, but I think we're not going to get full spreading or compaction until the bring in the dozer.

 

[FL_Cracker]

Got to love Florida for the water. If you want a pond just dig a hole and it will become a pond. You don't have to have running water there already.

Looks like you have a nice project going.

How the lake, are the bass biting or has it been too hot, or have you been working to much to fish?

 

[OkeeDon]

Howdy, Cracker, I see you changed your profile to be a bit more location specific -- I didn't know you were so close!

As for the lake and the fish (he's talking about Lake Okeechobee, the 2nd largest fresh water lake completely within the United States), I have to make a confession. Gasp, choke, ohmigod, I'm not a fisherman...I was raised a pure City Boy, and it just wasn't put into my blood as a young'n. I've been in Florida for 33 years, and my best friend is a Florida native fishin' fool who's attempted to teach me, but it just isn't there.

Also, I'm getting to hate the Lake. It's too full, and they need to release water through the canals out to the coast. That's a good part of why I'm flooded -- the gate's closed at the slough, so the highway ditch is too full, so it's backing up. But, the coastal folks are all fired up about fresh water releases ruining the estuary, and I can see their point, too. There is no good solution.

 

[BradK]

Don I have been in hiding in my office way to much work. I am waiting to get more fill till I can get the metal roof on the house then the county will not have to come out anymore. Do you have to have permits to have ponds dug i can't get a staight answer. I know people who just do it and others who just do it and get caught. I would fall in the getting caught column.

 

[OkeeDon]

I have always heard that permits are necessary and tough. When I had the first part of the pond done, I went with an experienced and respected contractor. I asked him about permits. He's a man of a few words; he would remind most people of a tough old cowboy rather than a Florida contractor. All he said was, "I'll handle that side of things." To th ebest of my knowledge, that "handling" is simply that the Powers That Be don't bother with him.

Today was a good example. We were pumping water from the new part of the pond to the existing part of the pond to make it easier to dig. A pickup truck from the South Florida Water Management Department showed up at the gate. The youngish girl in the truck said, "You can't pump from one pond to another." Wade (the contractor) said, "Go back to your office and check your rules again." That appeared to be the end of it. For those who aren't familiar with Florida, the various Water Management Districts around the state are somewhere up near God in the hierarchy, seemingly more powerful than sheriffs, DEP, EPA or Jeb.

Near as I can figure, as long as your pond is entirely on your own property, and has no connection to any waterway or wetland outside your property, and as long as what you are digging in is not already a wetland, then have at it and have fun.

 

[BradK]

That is good to know Don. When I get to the final portion of raising the pasture and cutting off the mess my neighbor made for me. I am going to have the pond cleaned up and deepened probaly take me another 5 years to get to that point. Tryin to get one pasture fully dry and the flow cut off then deal with the water that falls on my property not sending into the neighbors. I like to play and have the time in the evenings takes my stress out from the office.

 

[rlee6]

Don, it's good to see your photos again. I have my share of water issues. After all, I am just 2 counties north of you. Isn't this summer something as far as water is concerned? Thanks for showing me how a pond is dug. I thought I could just rent an excavator and start digging. Apparently, it's not that simple. Water has to be drained to another pond, and then connect the two. All these are new to me. How deep can you dig? Limited by the arm length of excavator?

By the way, BradK, how do you deepen a pond when the pond is full of water. Obviously, you cannot drain the whole pond. I am curious.

Thanks.

 

[OkeeDon]

Well, if you don't have another pond where you can pump the water, in other words if this is your first pond, you have two choices. Dig through the water, or pump it out to the flat ground. Now, if I were to tell you to pump the water towards the property line that has frontage on a drainage ditch, that would be wrong. If I were further to tell you to run the pump after dark and to place the discharge behind a cabbage palm, you'd know I was telling you something that I shouldn't tell you. So, I won't tell you any of that. Don't even know what made me think of it.

We're digging as deep as the excavator will go and still reach out a bit, so it doesn't have to be moved after every cut. With this small excavator, it's a little more difficult.