Pond spillway badly damaged

I have a pond that is stocked. It's about a .25 acre. The pond has a poorly constructed and badly damaged spillway that keeps my water level down due to the enormous amount of water that rushes under it. I want to tear this thing completely out and repair the gap by extending the earth damn across that span. I live just south of Louisville, Ky if that info helps. Is what I want to do feasible? Any help and advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Hey Damon,

Yep...another fail of that all to common OPC concrete...

I've seen this so many times on ponds, and even 2,3, and more attempts at doing the same thing over and over again with the same material...just makes no sense.

You idea sounds great. I can even offer that I have gone back to ponds with such failures as yours on fish farms, that we just "patched with clay/sand inside sandbags that are still going strong after 30 years. All that is needed is a good solid 300 mm of over cover with clay to protect from UV. and/or elemental erosion. I would suggest setting down to doing some math about "volumen requirements" and hydraulic loads on the spillway, as well as perhaps what other "water level management" modalities you would care to possibly employ. All in all...it seems you are going in the correct direction with you repair concepts...

Regards,

j

Thanks Jay C. I guess I have some homework to do because you you made a few key points that are foreign to me. I bought the home with the pond already there and the spillway has been continuously deteriorating. It's good to know I'm at least on the right track. I don't have tons of money so this will be a repair I have to make myself. I'm pretty handy but I want to make sure I do it right so as to avoid further cost. We would like to put a small beach on the opposite side of the pond but this problem is preventing not only that but it's majorly stressing my fish population.

...I don't have tons of money so this will be a repair I have to make myself. I'm pretty handy but I want to make sure I do it right so as to avoid further cost....

Then I would strongly recommend renting a small backhoe if possible or getting a "friend" with one, and channelling this pond out so it is dry, and taking a good look at everything about it. It doesn't hurt to leave it this way and slowly improve it to even perhaps "mucking it out" and increasing the depth, adding your "beach area" (I like stone more than sand myself) and perhaps putting in some underwater feature which can be built with heavy timber. This could even include a "pool area" of substantial depth. All of this is within the prudent and patient abilities of a DIYer with time but no money. I would be remiss if I didn't suggest checking in with your state to make sure you're within any of the state's Watershed, Impoundment, and Wetland compliances.

As for the spillway..."sandbag it" as this may be your cheapest route if planning on doing this yourself by hand and wheelbarrow. I have seen huge (<2 hectare) japanese ponds built all by hand by one elderly Mater Gardener...Also, I would not that the deepest well I have dug by hand is <20 meters, and I have dug pools out that are over 7 meters deep...all by hand, so a wheelbarrow and shovel (with patients) can do a great deal...Be safe and plan well...

Good luck and keep us all up to speed on your progress and work...

Regards,

j

Damon, How big is that pipe? It appears that at some times of the year you have so much water coming into and then out of the pond that the pipe is overwhelmed and goes over the top. Is that correct?
Be sure to design for that max water flow.
Also is there any way to go upstream from here and slow some of that inflow of water? Maybe some swales or more ponds? How much land do you own above the pond to work with ?