Wet areas in yard

[archerynut]

I didn't even think of the overflow pipe leaking around it. I haven't gotten in the pond b/c of weather, but it appears that the overflow is just a white 6 inch PVC pipe. Dont know much else about it. The pipe is on an angle that runs through the back side of the pond towards wet area #3. I think that you are correct about leaking around the pipe. On that note how do you replace that pipe with a sleeved pipe without having to drain the pond? Here is another pic with the water level a little bit lower. The pics from before are when we were having some pretty wet weather so levels were up.


I thought that it woudl be better to have an overflow that had a right angle under the water level and then come up perpendicular to the surface of the water with grate over the opening. Forgive my ignorance, don't know much about sleeved pipe, can you elaborate? Thnaks again for all of the insight.

 

[Defective]

I'm sure Eddie & others will shortly chime in to say the same thing so I don't feel quite so bad telling you this...

I'm afraid you'll be draining that pond soon.

That pipe looks like somebody shoved it through the dam to fix an existing problem. There's no doubt in my mind you're getting a lot of leakage around it. An overflow pipe should have a collar to avoid giving the water a straight path along the outside. (I've spent the last 5 minutes searching for an image without luck...darn!)

The good news: If you have to drain it to install a proper overflow pipe, that'll be the perfect time to rework it overall and get any other potential problems solved.

 

[EddieWalker]

To find an "Anti-Seep Collar" go to Conventional Pond Fittings and scroll down until you see it.

I've seen them on Ebay too.

The way they work is to stop the water traveling down the smooth length of the pipe. You need them on all smooth and Corugated pipes. Yes, corugated too. The ones on Ebay are cheaper and home made by building a wood frame and stretching rubber across it. Then putting a small hole in the middle and sliding the pipe through it.

The negative of a collar is getting the soil compacted around it.

On my lake, I put in smooth pipe for a drain, but built a collar from concrete. My reasoning was that the concrete around the pipe would stop the water and accomplish the same job, but compact allot better. I dug a trench under my pipe and build up the sides with dirt. Then I filled with sacks of readi mix concrete. I did this at a joint to help out with an irregular shape in the concrete.

In your case, I'd be very tempted to dig down to the pipe with a shovel and below it, near the water side of the dam, Just the width of the shovel is plenty. Clean off the pipe and fill the trench with sacks of readimix to a foot or so above the pipe. Let it dry and cover the hole.

I agree with Defective that you may very well have to drain the pond and rework it, but only if you get tired of all the wet areas and/or the dam stops holding water and the level begins to drop on you. Until then, we just don't know enough to make a desicion.

One of the best sources for pond building information is http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/pdf files/PONDS.PDF and well worth your time reading.

It's good to be doing your research now. When the weather warms up, you can develop a plan and know what to look for.

Eddie

 

[archerynut]

Just thought I would add a new pic. We got a lot of rain over the past day or so and I ended up with a whole new pond in the yard. Actually the two little streams that border my property jumped the banks and ended up in the back yard. Couple of hours later it almost has completely gone away. Nothing down there to get flooded, well except for the deer camera in the woods!!!

 

[archerynut]

Forgot to mention, the low spot in the dam wall only seems to be getting worse with the rains that we are getting. That is going to be first project when I finally get the tractor. I think I am going to try to add to the dam wall and compact with tractor first, we'll see how that works. That low spot is starting to overflow and erode the dam wall further. Should I cut the overflow pipe shorter first to lower the level of the water???

 

[EddieWalker]

Dams fail by a very simple means. Water flows over them and erodes the dirt. Not much at first, but it just keeps getting worse. At some point, it will increase to the point that it will seem to happen all at once. Your pictures shows a dam that's read to fail.

You need to get the water lower. Much lower!!! Then you need to get your drain pipe fixed. These are just the first two steps. From what you have shown, the pond is toast. If you have long terms plans to keep it, I'd drain it and rebuild the dam. It will make for a tough year, but when your done, it will be good for decades.

Have fun,
Eddie

 

[archerynut]

I hate to ask the obvious question but I will. What is the best way to go about draining the pond? Is there any way to preserve the fish that are living in the pond now?

 

[EddieWalker]

You really need to go over to Pond Boss Magazine Home Page! for anything about fish. Do you want the fish that you have in there? Do you even know what species you have and there balance?

As for draining it, the siphon is the cheapest and easiest. What's the biggest hard or firm walled hose that you can get? There is a thread over on pondboss about using corrigated drain hose. That might work, but I've never tried it myself. PVC pipe is very common for this, but you need a way to close the ends and fill the pipe to get rid of the air. Then seal the pipe and open the end in the pond first, then the drain side. If you have the air out, it will drain your pond.

Just adding dirt to your dam still might be a solution, but I think it's just a temporary fix.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[andrewj]

Archerynut:

I would talk to your local Wetlands Conservation Committee/Commission and/or whoever regulates that kind of thing prior to initiating any project with "wet land". A TBN member named "Timber" had a lot of difficulties with his local inspector types due to property work the previous homeowner did. Jay

Most folks would not consider a "wet spot" in a yard something needing protection as a "wetland." Government, on the other hand, governs. That's what it does. If you ask to be governed, you will be governed....perhaps his state's Department of natural resources would allow common sense to prevail and quiet his concerns....or perhaps they would do what they normally do and screw things up.

So before you call Natural Resources, think again. No good deed.....you know the rest. Ever heard of a door that, once opened, cannot be closed???

 

[thunderworks]

Archerynut: When I built my pond, I was told that the dam needed to be 3' higher than the overflow pipe (at a minimum) and that the spillway area is 2' higher than the overflow pipe . . . as water rises, past the overflow pipe in heavy rain, it will exit via the spillway before it ever crests the top of the dam. Water cresting the top of the dam is an impending disaster. I agree with Eddie, you're in for a significant pond rework.

Good luck with it.