Opening up a spring with a track-hoe

[jimmyj]

I feel for you in this terrible draught. At least it looks like you are making some progress against it Don. I hope Texas gets some rain soon.

 

[Whitnel]

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I was interested in this post as I have a spring fed stream at the top of a nearby ridge. I seperates two ridges and has made a nice creek bed. The stream is fairly strong year round for about 100 yards. Then is slows, narrows, and literally disappears. The stream bed goes down the entire property, full of round rocks worn from running water but the water is now UNDERGROUND; somewhere
Any suggestions about HOW to coax this stream to stay on top of the ground and continue it's old path? It's a beautiful stream up top, about 8' wide, 12" deep and gurgleing over bolders making small water falls etc.
If I could get it to stay above ground I might try a "Brandi" pond

Can you find where the water is going into the ground? If the hole is small enough you could try putting some conrete or bentonite ( similar to drilling mud ) in the hole to plug it. When bentonite mixes with water it swells causing the hole to plug.

 

[pacerron]

Stuck??? How do you define stuck? If I can push myself out with the FEL I don't think of it as being stuck.....So I haven't gotten stuck yet. I will try to find an anchor to chain the tractor to in case there is a major cave in. Thanks for the suggestion! The soil under the curbing is saturated. I picked that side of the culvert because it was the lowest and had the least amount of cave ins from springs.QUOTE]
Stuck means beyond being able to use the FEL....
The main reason I've never taken the FEL off my old Ford 3910 2WD is to get out of stuck situations on my hilly ground. The rear wheels are loaded but not much good on slick surfaces even with full chains on in the winter.Folks also think 4WD can go anywhere until they own one ( and use it ). I'm glad Ialso have a FEL on my New Holland 4020 4WD as I soon found in the winter that it was a life saver. I take the FEL bucket off when mowing or making hay, plowing, etc but leave the frame on. The FEL has the "skid steer" mount for attaching the bucket and it is an easy 2 minute job.
I had a "beyond FEL help" experience on my dam one spring. The ground was still a little soft but I had mowed over the top of the dam a couple times already. The next time I got a little too close to the water side edge and my
left wheel started to sink. I put the bucket down flat immediately for stabilization but the other rear wheel was about a foot off the ground. So I jumped off and waited to see if it was going over. Luckily it didn't but I had to get a big
tow truck with a long winch since I was over 100 feet out on the dam to pull me off. He said up front... it might roll over into the pond, but it didn't do to his expertise. So that's why I always urge caution before working around soft ground.
Chaining off to a front axle or both sides of the axle would be better than
chaining to the bucket in your situation coming up. Good luck, and be carefull climbing on and off the backhoe seat in the muck.
Ron

 

[Boeing]

Brandi, I read the PREHN article thoroughly and it looks real interesting. IF I interpret it correctly (since I HAVE a flowing stream that "disappears").....I would dig a perpendicular (to the stream) trench BELOW the area where the stream disappears. I presume that if I dug deep enough I would "discover" the running water again. THEN build the "tank or box" to collect this water.... or lay a pipe to make it resurface and flow down it's original creek bed? Kinda confused here
The creek bed is about 10-15 feet wide and rough; a test for an "off road" jeep. (if a backhow tried to drive up the dry bed) There is also an old logging road ABOVE the creek bank about 20-40 feet away where a backhoe COULD get to the creek from the side.
I've had 3 well drillers tell me that a well would be 600-800 ft. deep and need casing and a brute pump and wire and $$$.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Getting DRY

 

[pacerron]

I've had 3 well drillers tell me that a well would be 600-800 ft. deep and need casing and a brute pump and wire and $$$.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Getting DRY [/I][/B][/FONT]

Boeing,
Here is why something we have taken for granted should not be:
Groundwater in Virginia

 

[bindian]

The dog is a stray that wondered on our place last year and has not left. The DNA test show she is part:
Cocker Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
Greyhound
Poodle
Bichon Frise
Great Dane
She like to bark at snakes and has an awesome coyote howl, (bilingual).
We thought she was a Whippet and name her Whipper (Whip for short).

Also, if you don't need another vehicle to get out of the mud, you are only delayed.

Don,
Here I thought she was your duck hunting dog, the way she is always in the water. She sure loves the water. I wish Booger would get into my pond to cool off.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Boeing]

I agree completely that our water resources should NEVER be taken for granted....and I place great value on any that is available both for human use as well as agricultural and natures use. One only has to look at the mid-east to see where they have gotten without adequate water.
NOW, back to my questions...trying to get a stream that has gone underground back to the surface for natural beauty, wildlife and my possible use with a reservoir and pump up to my home site. My alternative being a very deep & expensive well. Speaking of well pumps... I am considering a WINDMILL standing over a deep, deep well to fill a reservoir in windy times and store water for dead times. Any excess could be used for irrigation of field crops. (a meager 3 acres) Ideas and suggestions are appreciated....to assume that I do not appreciate our water assets is un-called for.:ashamed:

 

[txdon]

An unwelcome surprise this morning, apparently when I cut the BH access ramp I uncovered 2 more springs. I removed the mud and quickly put down 6 FELs of rock and compacted it. I also made the ramp less steep.

With the culverts nearby the site is ready. But with the temp at 104, I'm taking the rest of the day off. (I still ned to put on the BH.)

It is starting to get exciting, the race will be to put in the culverts and rock before the sides cave in. If successful water should be flowing over the top culvert into the pond.

 

[bindian]

Brandi, I read the PREHN article thoroughly and it looks real interesting. IF I interpret it correctly (since I HAVE a flowing stream that "disappears").....I would dig a perpendicular (to the stream) trench BELOW the area where the stream disappears. I presume that if I dug deep enough I would "discover" the running water again. THEN build the "tank or box" to collect this water.... or lay a pipe to make it resurface and flow down it's original creek bed? Kinda confused here
The creek bed is about 10-15 feet wide and rough; a test for an "off road" jeep. (if a backhow tried to drive up the dry bed) There is also an old logging road ABOVE the creek bank about 20-40 feet away where a backhoe COULD get to the creek from the side.
I've had 3 well drillers tell me that a well would be 600-800 ft. deep and need casing and a brute pump and wire and $$$.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Getting DRY

Rob,
The Prehn Method states........4. Dig the trench about 5 feet uphill
(depending on the slope) from the markers that were put out during the wet season.

But this is for finding water in a hill side where no water is visible. But with the indicator grass and trees. So I think dig above where your stream disappears. Also, I would think if you dug right where it disappears, you could find it and develope it.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Whitnel]

NOW, back to my questions...trying to get a stream that has gone underground back to the surface for natural beauty, wildlife and my possible use with a reservoir and pump up to my home site.

Can you identify the spot where it disapears? Is it possible to plug the hold up so it will stay in the stream bed?