I really want a little fish pond on my property. This season creek runs through this ravine, the height on the right is maybe 5 ft. Can I just dig in here to excavated it a bit and then dam it off somewhere where the dogs are in the second picture?
I would think that I can put in a pvc pipe through the damn that would be sticking up in the pond, so any overflow would go through the pvc pipe and not over the dam.
Sometimes there is a lot of water thst comes through here during heavy rains, other times there is nothing in the creek and its dry.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance
by crypto_junkie2040
5 Comments
Is the spot in a low point on your property? Is the ground perpetually wet?
You want to make sure the spot is going to bring water due to the natural flow.
Elevation is key.
Assuming it’s legal to do that, the next worry is the gravel. I would think water would just flow into the gravel and under the dam. You might get a seasonal pond. Maybe it would work with a liner.
From what little I’ve seen (please correct me b4 down voting guys) A). You need to make sure this is legal to do in your state since damming waterways can be an environmental and legal issue and B) If it’s all good, dig down to clay if you can and use the clay to line your pond to keep seepage and draining down. Good luck!
There’s usually some maximum size for a pond before you need a permit to dig or build one. In my area it’s one acre. I can build a one acre pond without needing permission.
I would go ahead and just dig it out as you want to. You’re NOT interrupting an existing creek. You’re just… digging a hole. That might happen to fill up with water.
Seriously though your municipality shouldn’t care. But they shouldn’t find out about it in the first place either.
Does that creek run dry in the summer months? If not, that’s your pond right there, please don’t disturb nature’s landscaping, she knows what she’s doing. Ponds may be useful in some settings where man-introduced changes have significantly altered nature, what you are showing in the photos is not that kind of setting.