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Pond /dugout is drying up??
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Posted by konrad___far_north 3 (My Page) on Sat, Sep 26, 09 at 1:45
We have been in a drought for about 5 years and my pond is drying up, I only use it for the vegetable garden and some flowers.
Had it dug out close to 20 years ago, it's about 10 feet down in center, remember when it was dug, there was natural spring water coming in at the bottom ...had a idea to gain some extra water by going deeper, scoop out a hole about 8 feet in diameter and 8 feet down, then put about 2 feet of gravel, set a pipe in about 4 feet in diameter, have about 3 feet of pipe sticking out and fill with gravel.
Now I need expert advise, will a concrete pipe, something like a manhole stand up the freezing of the ice?
Will a slab of about a foot of insulation on top of water prevent from freezing?
Or will a plastic pipe be better,.. I know plastic doesn't last long.
What I would gain is, getting excess to the deeper water table and the water coming in from the bottom would be clean, so
I don't have to strain when sucking out. Perhaps have concrete pipe just about a foot above ground and go with plastic the rest?
Well...it looks like I need a pipe the total 10 feet high, otherwise when the time comes and water level is all the way up no debris can enter pipe.
Please advise
Konrad
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Pond /dugout is drying up??
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My guess is that what you found is not so much a natural "spring" but the water table. When you reach water table in most soils, the soil will be wet. When you dig down a ways and then let the hole sit, it will slowly fill up to the water table level. I would also imagine that with the drought the water table may be lower that you last saw it.
If you want to do something like what you describe here I'd go with plastic. It lasts pretty long time when out of the sun (UV light is what breaks it down the fastest). Well drillers are using a lot of plastic these days.
But then that brings me to my main thought here. What you need is a well, not a big open pipe. You can drill small wells down to 30 or 40 feet with rather simple equipment.
But, if you just want to dig a pit and put a perforated pipe, wrap that with porous cloth, and then back fill with gravel around it, that could get you something. Check with septic tank companies, well drillers, and irrigation companies for the pipe and supplies. |
RE: Pond /dugout is drying up??
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Thank you softmentor!
This makes sense, I was thinking getting a well put in, around here it's 250 feet down and $ 35 a foot, this would be the next step if the pond stay's dry. Konrad |
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