Pond Full of Sediment Cancel The title field is required!

1. Eric Halinski

   

   0 posts
   
   2/14/2017 1:02 PM

   We have been getting record rain and snow out west resulting in a lot of mudslides and/or sediment washing up from previously dry creeks. I have a small pond on our executive course that is fed by natural springs that feed into a creek upstream. It is now halfway full of silt and sediment (See photo). Have any of you had any experience, or have contracted someone with experience, to deal with something like this? What was the process like? Dredging? Excavator work? Any and all advice welcome.
   
   Note: The pond is about 87' across at its widest point and probably just enough room for a decent sized excavator on either side.

   
   
   
   
2. Clay Putnam

   

   33 posts
   
   2/14/2017 3:02 PM

   You may be able to dredge with a long-armed excavator but that might be a "stretch". May need to drain the pond and doze. The dozer work would, more than likely, be the quickest and most efficient. The only way to know for sure is have a local excavator take a look at the project. Then there is always the question of what to do with the material, will the job require haul trucks, environmental, permitting, and so on.

   
   
   
   
3. Eric Halinski

   

   0 posts
   
   2/14/2017 4:02 PM

   It may be a stretch, indeed. I can't just dump the sediment further down the line as it will end up in my irrigation pond and/or over the levy (and eventually into the river) which is an environmental "no-no". Will probably require dredging and dropping into an empty lot about 40' above the pond...then drying out, cleaning up, and hauling off.

   
   
   
   
4. Clay Putnam

   

   33 posts
   
   2/14/2017 4:02 PM

   Can you shape the sediment into the surrounding landscape and vegetate?

   
   
   
   
5. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   2/15/2017 9:02 AM

   Depending on the silt, you may be able to walk an excavator out and have them flip the spoil back to another machine for removal. I have done this a couple of times on a pond we have issues with. Required a couple of dump truck for the spoils to remove to a dry down site. I have made a berm in a different area and grassed with a native blend with success, but I wouldn't do that in the area you have shown. For us, the dredging activity was deemed a maintenance issue, thus, no permit was required.

   
   
   
   
6. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   2/15/2017 9:02 AM

   Should have stated that they used pads to walk the excavator out on...I haven't seen one yet that will float.

   
   
   
   
7. Curtis Nickerson

   

   0 posts
   
   2/17/2017 7:02 AM

   Have a contractor come out and "dredge it" in to de-watering bags (they are large geo-textile bags that the sediment gets pumped into, they are porous and allow the water to drain out. Once the water has drained off, cut the bags and haul the material off site. Or a more cost effective way to "dispose" of the material would be to use it to create mounds that can be sodded/seeded.

   
   
   
   
8. Ronald Conard

   

   4 posts
   
   2/17/2017 9:02 AM

   Eric,
   
   I'm just throwing this out there so it may sound completely off the wall, but is there anything wrong with letting it be as is?
   
   Does the pond currently serve for flood control and does it need to hold a certain volume of water? It looks like that is the case but If not, it looks naturalized in your setting, it fits your motif so to speak, and mud/sediment flats are every bit as valuable with regards to habitat as a clean edged pond. You see ponds with this situation all the time in nature.

   
   
   
   
9. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   2/20/2017 6:02 AM

   Not knowing the depth or function of the pond, I would suggest that you have probably lost significant depth in the water column. If too shallow, not only will the water heat up excessively, changing the oxygen demand and the ecosystem, but sunlight will penetrate to the floor of the pond. This will likely lead to an algae situation that you will then be forced to deal with. Looks to me like it will be best to restore the pond back to its original function. You could always reach out to a pond management company to get their third party opinion.

   
   
   
   
10. Eric Halinski

    

    0 posts
    
    2/20/2017 11:02 AM

    Thank you all for the suggestions and advice. Leaving it as is isn't an option for me for a couple of reasons...1 - as Joshua stated - this is going to cause more issues once we heat up this summer from an ecological standpoint and 2 - the homeowners/golfers/owners/myself are going to have an issue with the new aesthetic that has developed. I'm currently looking some options, but I'm currently leaning towards excavating the sides where I can reach. Next, I plan on dredging w/water bags or using a pump truck for the interior with the help of a diver. Unfortunately, I have more dirt than I can handle right now because we are building a new club house with underground cart storage... Accordingly, I have been "blessed" with a great deal of fill material and new projects haha. So - looks like I will have to take (most) of the material offsite after it dries up.

    
    
    
    
11. Ronald Conard

    

    4 posts
    
    2/21/2017 9:02 AM

    Eric Halinski said: Thank you all for the suggestions and advice. Leaving it as is isn't an option for me for a couple of reasons...1 - as Joshua stated - this is going to cause more issues once we heat up this summer from an ecological standpoint and 2 - the homeowners/golfers/owners/myself are going to have an issue with the new aesthetic that has developed. I'm currently looking some options, but I'm currently leaning towards excavating the sides where I can reach. Next, I plan on dredging w/water bags or using a pump truck for the interior with the help of a diver. Unfortunately, I have more dirt than I can handle right now because we are building a new club house with underground cart storage... Accordingly, I have been "blessed" with a great deal of fill material and new projects haha. So - looks like I will have to take (most) of the material offsite after it dries up.

    
    
    To each their own but are you saying you never had an algae issue in that pond before? As far aesthetics is concerned we spend a lot of time and money in this industry fighting entropy in naturalized areas and at what cost/benefit? Aesthetics are subjective. I get having to please the homeowners, golfers, owners. But if I was owner I'd leave it because the natural course of this pond will be to do the same thing over and over again. In the long run the sediment flat would turn into a wetland (you could help this along by planting) and what happens then? A perfect filter is created to keep your algae issue to a minimum and improve habitat and imo aesthetics.

    
    
    
    
12. Eric Halinski

    

    0 posts
    
    2/21/2017 3:02 PM

    Ronald, I like the idea of this area becoming a wetland as long as it doesn't impede the flow of water too drastically... and honestly would be more cost effective. The runoff from snowmelt/rain and natural springs feed this pond year round. Further downstream is my irrigation pond for this course where I collect a fair amount of this water. My main source for irrigation water is a river that I pump from, but it drops below "pumpable" levels most years... so as you can imagine this "runoff" can become very valuable for me.

    
    
    
    
13. Ronald Conard

    

    4 posts
    
    2/22/2017 12:02 PM

    Eric Halinski said: Ronald, I like the idea of this area becoming a wetland as long as it doesn't impede the flow of water too drastically... and honestly would be more cost effective. The runoff from snowmelt/rain and natural springs feed this pond year round. Further downstream is my irrigation pond for this course where I collect a fair amount of this water. My main source for irrigation water is a river that I pump from, but it drops below "pumpable" levels most years... so as you can imagine this "runoff" can become very valuable for me.

    
    
    In my experience with a wetland at the inlet to our irrigation lake is that it does not impede flow after the wetland is saturated. Before then I suppose it can to a certain degree. It's like a big sponge. Once it is full then the flow through the wetland would be about the same, minus to transpiration. The real benefit in our situation is that the water column is purified of excess P which is the limiting factor in algae blooms. After the wetland was established algae problems became a thing of the past. Just food for thought. Nice looking course though!!

    
    
    
    
14. Rick Tegtmeier

    

    0 posts
    
    2/27/2017 6:02 AM

    I have used the process of pumping sediment into the bags and letting the water leave. While it all sounds good it is very expensive and they do a poor job. I agree with some of the others. Did a bury pit in an out of the way place. Drain the pond, move the silt to the bury pit and then cover it with the material you dug out. You will have a mound but you would be surprised how much it will settle once the water naturally seeps out of the sludge. Water always finds it's own way over time. None of us own the silt, it just comes in. You might also think about building silt basins/ponds upstream from that pond that are easier to clean out with a long reach hoe the next time around. Good luck.
    
    Rick