Helpful tips for pond management needed

[ddyerfamily]

Ok . Everywhere I see in the photo is green color. It is a great color to have in landscape . Some other color add on will be more super. Are you in to flower? If you do check your local nursery to see what zone are you in or you can look at the garden book. It will tell you the zone . Use that to pick out the right plant for it. Pick the one that live near by water, so they can take water from the pond by itself. That will save your time of watering them. Some hardy water lily at the eged and let it grow out would be nice.

Thanks
I love flowers ! I moved here in the fall so I will wait till next spring for flowers.
Water lilies are on my list as well.
Thanks for advice

 

[ddyerfamily]

Call local excavators, concrete guys, paving comp., landscapers, and some contractors may have soil/clay spoils avail. to buy. I would think no more than 5-10 dollars per yard delivered. You can rent a Bobcat or simaliar tractor to then do grading of the berm yourself.

Not sure what the last post was trying to say...To much green? lawn? If you need plants, walk down the road and look in the ditches. You will be able to find many aquatic natives that will flurish and bloom along the pond edges. Lillies are a good idea, but w/flooding concerns, the native white species may be the only choice. Still lovely though. I would focus on the berm first and plants later. The berm can be built this fall and winter and will help next year w/spring rains and snow melt. Once you see it works, then you can plan for plants and trees/shrubs around the pond.

Agree totally ! I am not going to plant till after snow melts and spring floods.

This who peice of property is sitting on a old lake bed. Under 1-2 foot of topsoil is sold clay most red but some is gray. Under the house is solid clay and EVERYWHERE I have dug (both garden plots and backyard) are all clay under the topsoil.

This is why the yard will not drain.It acts like a pool.The water has to evaporate.....

I will call the county see what they will do for me.

Driving a bobcat sounds like great FUN

 

[ddyerfamily]

Get the county to dig out a ditch along the road and put the dirt on your side of the ditch. Use the dirt to help build a berm.
Between the ditch and the berm it should help.
Adding a couple more pipes through the road should help also.
Call the County, a squeaky hinge gets the oil.

In your back yard, The land must rise a little before going down to the creek. cut a small ditch through the high area to drain the back yard to the creek.

LOL squeaky hinge
One problem with digging ditch to the creek is cutting threw the small berm that keep the creek from coming over back into my yard.If I dig into that berm the flood will come threw there .....The flood waters come all the way to the top of the creeks berm almost coming over.I am afraid to even put a pipe between the pond and creek.not sure how to make a pond overflow or drain ???? The level of the pond is level with the flood level of the creek


Seems everyone agrees a berm is the best way. This is where I will start.
Build a ditch with a berm on my side.

I wish they would build a bridge but this is a VERY VERY poor county.

There is only one stop light in the WHOLE county !

 

[ddyerfamily]

I called the county and they are going to call me back.....
They said they could bring a load or 2 of fill dirt.
That sounds good.
Wonder if they will put where needs to be or will they just drop it and leave it for me to deal with ?

We will see ....

At least it is a start.

 

[oswego]

Rent a backhoe and go around all four sides of your pond, use the dirt to make the berm and you get a bigger pond to boot.

Let the wet dirt dry and then use your tractor and disc on it. Then get a box blade for your tractor and use it to take the dirt to your berm.

Ask around and a neighbor might have a backhoe and or a box blade.

 

[badreverend]

I was just curious- do you think the previous owners dug the pond as a spillway or trap in an effort to redirect the creek waters from reaching the house? If that turns out to be the case and the high water problem wasnt disclosed to you at the closing- its possible that they could be liable for coming up with and funding your solution- I believe you have up to a year to apply in most states- good luck

 

[ddyerfamily]

Rent a backhoe and go around all four sides of your pond, use the dirt to make the berm and you get a bigger pond to boot.

Let the wet dirt dry and then use your tractor and disc on it. Then get a box blade for your tractor and use it to take the dirt to your berm.

Ask around and a neighbor might have a backhoe and or a box blade.

Neighbor has a backhoe,thanks for suggestions.

 

[ddyerfamily]

I was just curious- do you think the previous owners dug the pond as a spillway or trap in an effort to redirect the creek waters from reaching the house? If that turns out to be the case and the high water problem wasnt disclosed to you at the closing- its possible that they could be liable for coming up with and funding your solution- I believe you have up to a year to apply in most states- good luck

We was thinking the same thing.
I believe they did dig the pond to catch the flood waters.THen stocked it to make it sound other-wise.
THe owners were quick to tell me it was stocked.

Also the neighbor have told me the house has been flooded !
I hear it was even pictured front page in the local newspaper with water all the way around the house

Were we Pi$$ed OFF ....The owner told us it never flooded into the house.

We are not happy at all.

I need a lawyer......

I have pictures and videos of the floods since we moved here with water coming within 20 feet of the house.

I thank you for your advice you confirm our thoughts.

 

[The1and only]

So you are having the same problem my parents had with their pond in Wisconsin. The only way to cure the problem is to berm the pond up around the edges and totally re landscape your yard to prevent the water from reaching the house. In the picture looking past your pond into your backyard it looks as though the back yard is lower than the pond so once the water goes over the berm is goes straight for your house. Also evident in the pic with the water in the yard and pond but not that much in between. Since you are tight on funds You are going to have to find a local guy that works a road crew and pay him some beer to survey your property. Then get friendly with your neighbor and use his blade or bucket on his back hoe to move the dirt around so you have a higher berm around the pond on the side of your house and slope the yard away from your house when the pond does over flow. Also be prepared to re do this every few years until you get it right. you could also try to drain tile the areas that have the most water (a local farmer can help you with this). As for dirt since Ky is like Wi mostly clay people have to pay for disposal of dirt and no one really wants it, So you can usually get them to dump a load or two for free. When they dump the fill they just back up with a dump truck and dump it so you might want to put a sign up where to do it.

These projects are long term and have a tendency to fail even when you pay professionals. Growing up my grandparents lived next door to us and they had two ponds. One the size of yours that was feed by one 4 times that size. My mother also has one about the size of yours at her cabin that is spring feed. Over the years I have had to help them deal with problems that were totally unforeseeable. So be patient and have a master plan before you start and build for a wost case flood scenario.

 

[ddyerfamily]

So you are having the same problem my parents had with their pond in Wisconsin. The only way to cure the problem is to berm the pond up around the edges and totally re landscape your yard to prevent the water from reaching the house. In the picture looking past your pond into your backyard it looks as though the back yard is lower than the pond so once the water goes over the berm is goes straight for your house. Also evident in the pic with the water in the yard and pond but not that much in between. Since you are tight on funds You are going to have to find a local guy that works a road crew and pay him some beer to survey your property. Then get friendly with your neighbor and use his blade or bucket on his back hoe to move the dirt around so you have a higher berm around the pond on the side of your house and slope the yard away from your house when the pond does over flow. Also be prepared to re do this every few years until you get it right. you could also try to drain tile the areas that have the most water (a local farmer can help you with this). As for dirt since Ky is like Wi mostly clay people have to pay for disposal of dirt and no one really wants it, So you can usually get them to dump a load or two for free. When they dump the fill they just back up with a dump truck and dump it so you might want to put a sign up where to do it.

These projects are long term and have a tendency to fail even when you pay professionals. Growing up my grandparents lived next door to us and they had two ponds. One the size of yours that was feed by one 4 times that size. My mother also has one about the size of yours at her cabin that is spring feed. Over the years I have had to help them deal with problems that were totally unforeseeable. So be patient and have a master plan before you start and build for a wost case flood scenario.

Thank you very much for your post !

I agree with all you have wrote here. This is a HUGE long-term problem.

We have in mind right now to build a berm and ditch at the road and try to get dirt to level the back yard. We have 2 drainage pipes in the front yard that drain to the pond.We are thinking 2 in the backyard will help it drain but with all the drains going to the pond I am sure we will flood the pond.

This leads to the need of a berm around the pond or at least between the house and pond.

I think this will be very ugly to the eye.

I really believe now they should have built the house closer to the road were the land is higher. The house is sinking even thou it sits on very thick clay.I am thinking after our "must live here 10 years" are up we will move to higher ground. This land use to be a lake bed and this flooding problem will never end.

I love this place but mother nature is a Mighty force to deal with.

I am seriously thinking about getting a lawyer.