Pond Build

[walker450]

I'm late starting a thread. I started building a pond and will have the dam finished in a few days (with the help of some friends).

I have used a range of equipment to perform the work and will post more about it when time allows.

First brush cutting was done with my Kubota M5040 and later I took out small trees, mostly cedars, with a CAT 303.5 mini ex.

I then bought a Dresser TD-20E dozer and cleared the large trees and started the dirt work, but the engine is bad so I sold it.

I rented a CAT D5K and hired a friend with a dozer to help and another friend brought his scrapers over.

Here is a video taken last night of the scraper working:

 

[yanmars]

That is pretty serious equipment. How long, how wide and how deep will it be?

 

[ultrarunner]

Looks like a massive undertaking…

 

[EddieWalker]

That's one heck of a dam!!!!! I'm looking forward to more pictures and details, like how are you going to handle overflow.

Is the pond for fishing or just for livestock to drink? If it's for fishing, be sure to create drop offs, ditches, points, and even underwater islands, for the fish. The uglier it is, the more the fish like it!!

 

[Rockbadchild]

lol a pond and a half ... you are making a lake not a pond

 

[deezler]

Pond? That looks more like a reservoir.

Dang. How many acres?

 

[fishdrivel]

I'm late starting a thread. I started building a pond and will have the dam finished in a few days (with the help of some friends).

I have used a range of equipment to perform the work and will post more about it when time allows.

First brush cutting was done with my Kubota M5040 and later I took out small trees, mostly cedars, with a CAT 303.5 mini ex.

I then bought a Dresser TD-20E dozer and cleared the large trees and started the dirt work, but the engine is bad so I sold it.

I rented a CAT D5K and hired a friend with a dozer to help and another friend brought his scrapers over.

Here is a video taken last night of the scraper working:

Did you get permits?
Did you talk to Bureau of Dam Safety?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Looks like some great clay. Also, hearing that turbo scream sure sounded like a whole lot of fuel is getting used for this project. My pockets are nowhere near that deep.

 

[DieselBound]

<My head hanging low...> my pond is actually nothing more than a pot hole <the shame>

 

[kenmbz]

hmmm. Walker Lake.
Very interested. I want to do a pond too, but am thinking more along the 100' by 50'.
I think yours is a "bit" larger. How are you getting rid of the soil?

 

[ultrarunner]

Never realized just how wooded your property is.

I have always thought Texas ranches have the best fences because of the surplus oil field materials available?

 

[DieselBound]

hmmm. Walker Lake.
Very interested. I want to do a pond too, but am thinking more along the 100' by 50'.
I think yours is a "bit" larger. How are you getting rid of the soil?

Build a mountain? (seems that mountain-building doesn't get enough action)

 

[jaxs]

That's one heck of a dam!!!!! I'm looking forward to more pictures and details, like how are you going to handle overflow.

Is the pond for fishing or just for livestock to drink? If it's for fishing, be sure to create drop offs, ditches, points, and even underwater islands, for the fish. The uglier it is, the more the fish like it!!

OMG Eddie,if that gal in line ahead of me at Wal-Mart entered fishing tournaments,other contestants wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[walker450]

Hi everyone sorry I have been very busy, have a new baby at home (she makes 5 kids total )

We completed the pond dam but I still have to find time to upload more videos.

Current spillway level should provide 1.5 acres of water but we made the dam extra high so I should be able to raise the spillway and gain some more sq feet.

Everything went well I have lots of video to edit and upload. Here are a few pics.

I hooked my 2 yd scraper up to my 50HP tractor today so I can move some topsoil piles around to other areas of my property that need it.

I will be renting an excavator and digging some trenches and holes in the pond to serve as fish habitat.

 

[walker450]

Here are some more random pics.... I'm going to say this so it's documented... the best part about building this was the fellowship, my kids rode with me at different times in the dozer, my friends came to visit, my friends helped me, my neighbors came to see the progress and visit nearly daily, it was just a great time all around, I was starting the rental dozer before sunrise and shutting it down after dark each day and loving every minute of it.

The rental is the Cat D5K and my friends machine is the Komatsu D39EX

 

[walker450]

Here is the video of me clearing the trees where the pond dam went:

NOTE: This isn't everything I cleared... just what I captured on video.

 

[walker450]

Here is the video of me clearing the trees where the pond dam went:

NOTE: This isn't everything I cleared... just what I captured

 

[walker450]

The Dresser dozer wasn't running right when I bought it, I was hoping it was injectors but it had two bad cam lobes, so I sold it and rented the Cat. It was such a beast it still done a lot of work running on 6 out of 8 cylinders.

 

[ultrarunner]

Is their a preferred habitat for fish?

Seems they like submerged logs and boulders and such...

Quite a project... thanks for posting.

 

[walker450]

That's one heck of a dam!!!!! I'm looking forward to more pictures and details, like how are you going to handle overflow.

Is the pond for fishing or just for livestock to drink? If it's for fishing, be sure to create drop offs, ditches, points, and even underwater islands, for the fish. The uglier it is, the more the fish like it!!

For now just fishing. I left several ledges and a few dirt piles for fish. I will be digging some trenches next and will post pictures. I'll also leave some timber in certain locations. I also have some rocks I've saved for habitat.