Opening up a spring with a track-hoe

[bindian]

Our spring finally turned into a mud hole in this Texas drought. I heard the last time this happened (about 20 years ago) a track-hoe was brought in and it started flowing. I check the mud/silt depth with a rod and it was almost 6'.

The 27' track-hoe started digging yesterday afternoon and finished this afternoon.

The mud was removed and the spring pond slowly is starting to fill up. I can see the water coming out in about 10 places. I'll take another picture in a few days to see how much the pond fills.

Don,
It is always good to muck out when you can. Sounds like there was a few decades of silt there.

Was that excavator a Cat 235C? I have been seeing these on the I-45 construction in Conroe and this Cat is the biggest excavator Williams Construction (no relation) uses.

Like Eddie, I would like to have one to play on.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I feel sorry for all you Texans with the drought. Has to be reaping havoc on about everything and everybody by now. Hate to be a cattle farmer or just to be living down there at this point. I imagine most farms are using wells for water. How are they holding up in most cases?

Thanks Johnk,
I am starting to see tops of trees turn brown on my place. Critters are literally coming out of the wood work for water. I'm seeing a lot of dove around my pond.:thumbsup: But my area's hawks are AWOL.:thumbdown::smiley_aafz::mur::confused3:
hugs, Brandi

 

[Western]

Don, I'd give a couple of acres to have a spring, you guy's are lucky that have them. I love looking around them for old Indian stuff "arrowheads"

 

[jinman]

I keep mentioning the springs on my dad's old place in Denton, TX, but the one spring that ran the most water was dug out with a backhoe down to about 12' deep. Your 5' round area might be the same. Too bad the trackhoe didn't dig that down like a pit. You could backfill with crushed rock or gravel to keep the sand from silting in. One spring on my dad's place had been rocked up like an old dug well. When cleaned out, it was a great producer, but when it silted in, it just became a constant mudhole.

 

[txdon]

Are the 10 places all about the same elevation?

Ron

Good question. The water starts seeping at whatever the depth of the hole is. right now the most water is flowing down to the pond area which is about 2 feet lower in elevation than the 5' round caved in area. When the pond fills up 2 feet I don't know if it will continue to fill. There is a berm around the pond to keep rain water out, and at 5' the water will flow under the fence to the neighbors. He also has a spring right on the other side of the fence and the flows join and flow across his property. All Our property is uphill from the spring.

Jim, the area is really unstable with the sand. I should have had a large culvert placed in the ground to stop the cave-ins. Hey, I have a 4' round culvert that is about 3' tall..... Hmmmm..... Got to go, I have an Idea......

 

[pacerron]

Good question. The water starts seeping at whatever the depth of the hole is. right now the most water is flowing down to the pond area which is about 2 feet lower in elevation than the 5' round caved in area. QUOTE]

Don,
Maybe you should look at some artesian well strata diagrams.
Ron
artesian well - Google Search

 

[pacerron]

Here is a good article about milking water from the Caliche dirt, etc. in central Texas.
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Water From the Hills_Prehn Method.pdf

 

[txdon]

I have several steel culverts from with diameters of 3.5' to 5'. See photo.

My plan #1 was to put the largest one in dig it out, put in next, dig it out etc....

and then put gravel in the bottom.

I put the 5' X 1' culvert in first to stop the cave in and dug it out, and then that was it, I was through for the day.

I need to get my tractor near the culvert to use my backhoe, but to do that I have to cut a landing next to it. This will take a couple of weeks. All the bulldozers are tied up for weeks cleaning out dried up ponds so I'll start with the tractor. The dug out dirt is still wet so I will have to wait a few days.

I'm counting on no rain and the pond not to fill up over the first culvert.

There is about 8" of water in the pond and it has gone up an inch since this morning.

 

[jinman]

Great job Don! That lip of the culvert will act as a silt barrier too. That sure is alotta wattah.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Great thread Don. Very interested to see your progress with the culverts. It must be frustrating not to be able to use your backhoe.

The barber down at City Barber shop swears we must have a spring in our pond as it stays up so well. I don't know but would like to know.

I would love to dig it out but it is still 3/4 full and it would cost a whole bunch of money since there is so much silt and mud. I would suspect it would take a week or more with a dragline and a 1 yard bucket.