Beginning of the Pond dream

[BeckyK]

A couple weeks ago we got a call from one of the board members asking if we could dig a test hole. Basically 1 cubic yard. I guess they wanted to see what happens with the ground water between that day and the next meeting (coming up on Tuesday next week). Considering this is almost like a puddle compared to what the finished size of the pond would be, I wasn't sure it was going to give an accurate display of what to expect. But we did it anyway.

It took a couple days to collect about 3 inches of water from it seeping out of the ground. About thr 3rd day we got a couple rain showers. It gained 17 inches even though we didn't get that much rain. It rained again a couple days after that and it did overflow some. But it surely didn't flood the neighbors. We even got two really nasty thunderstorms blow through on July 4th with massive downpours. The overflow still didn't leave our yard.

We haven't went out to check since then, but maybe there will be enough information for us to win "The Battle of the Pond" yet.

Fingers crossed!

 

[BeckyK]

I forgot to post the other night, but after an hour and a half of more discussions Tuesday night about our pond plans. We finally passed and have the blessing of the distraught neighbors. Conditions of the permit are that we have to add a one foot berm around the perimeter of the pond, and we have to berm the west and north lot lines to the height recommended by the excavator. For some reason everyone is still worried our pond will overflow and flood the neighbors.

Only downfall was we learned this is just the planning and zoning committee. They have to send their recommendation to the actual township board, and it has to be heard at their board meeting next week Thursday night. But hopefully with everything we had to go through to get this far it will be finalized easily.

Then we have the board meeting on the county level July 30th. After that it will be about another 10 days till we have all the physical permits in hand. Hopefully the excavator we are using for the project can fit us in right away after that. We are getting so excited to finally get this going!

So now the research resumes.... water plants not prohibited by the State of Wisconsin, where to have plant shelves, what plants/trees/shrubs to put on and around the berm, can some of the edges be more verticle, aeration decisions like wind versus power....the list seems endless. I want a waterfall also, but can't afford to do it right away, so I need to make sure I know where I want to build it so there isn't a lot to do down the road.

Can't wait to get started!

 

[Lisak1]

Woo hoo!

Someone thinking your pond will flood their yard is just goofy - they know it's not spring fed, right? Haha!

Our power in our subdivision was out after a big rain storm a week or so ago for almost ten hours and we were the only ones on our street who didn't have back up water in our basement from our sump pump. We think it's because our pond takes up so much of the rain water that would otherwise be collecting in the grass and going into the sump pump. Everyone else was scrambling to get their generators going or batteries for their back up pumps while we were calmly waiting for the power to be restored.

 

[BeckyK]

Woo hoo!

Someone thinking your pond will flood their yard is just goofy - they know it's not spring fed, right? Haha!

Our power in our subdivision was out after a big rain storm a week or so ago for almost ten hours and we were the only ones on our street who didn't have back up water in our basement from our sump pump. We think it's because our pond takes up so much of the rain water that would otherwise be collecting in the grass and going into the sump pump. Everyone else was scrambling to get their generators going or batteries for their back up pumps while we were calmly waiting for the power to be restored.

There is a chance we could hit an artesian spring when they start digging. And it's a high water table. The test hole we dug started to fill up from water seeping out of the ground, which is almost all clay under the 4-5 inches of topsoil, and we only dug it 33 inches deep. But we want the pond to be full all the time anyway. What we couldn't seem to get them to accept or understand is that even though it would fill up with ground water, the evaporation in our area for a pond as large as we're putting in is much greater than what we'd be pumping in from the sumps. There's no way it would flood the surrounding neighbors even if we didn't put a berm around it.

But you are exactly right. When the ground is mostly dry because the pond gives water a place to go, the sumps get barely any. That is one of the main reasons we wanted to do this, along with needing fill around the house. The lot is always so soggy, sometimes with standing water in a few places, because the clay underneath is saturated.

I guess i thought this was all common sense. Silly me!

 

[Lisak1]

Some people just like having something to worry about. In our neighborhood, they all complain about people driving too fast. Not over the speed limit, mind you. Just "too fast". Alllll righty then!

Can't wait to see your pond in progress!

 

[BeckyK]

So our town board meeting was last night, and we got their approval to move forward. They will be sending their authorization to our county for their meeting coming up on July 30. We're so relieved!

My husband has had a few conversations with the involved parties on the country level throughout our battle with the township and our neighbors. He hasn't gotten any indication from them that there will be any issues, so we're pretty confident we'll be able to move forward with our project in early August.

[Insert huge sigh of relief here]

I will post pictures as soon as we get started!

 

[addy1]

Yeah!

 

[BeckyK]

After weeks and weeks of processes, meetings, waiting for the permit to deliver and waiting for the excavator to be available we finally have a date! Tomorrow the pond will be dug and the day after all the grading will be done! Woo hoo!

I feel it's too late now to plant anything, but I don't mind. It'll be done and ready for spring, and the dang ruts the big equipment left from building our house will be gone too. They have prevented us from mowing around the house this season so the weeds have ran rampant. It will look so much better.

Pics to come!!

 

[GBBUDD]

After weeks and weeks of processes, meetings, waiting for the permit to deliver and waiting for the excavator to be available we finally have a date! Tomorrow the pond will be dug and the day after all the grading will be done! Woo hoo!

I feel it's too late now to plant anything, but I don't mind. It'll be done and ready for spring, and the dang ruts the big equipment left from building our house will be gone too. They have prevented us from mowing around the house this season so the weeds have ran rampant. It will look so much better.

Pics to come!!

for anyone reading your post and who may be in the same stage of construction we have used wild flower mixes to stabilize the soils until final grading can be done and the lawn is able to be planted . yes some call most of the mix weeds but they flower and looks better then just tall weeds.

 

[BeckyK]

for anyone reading your post and who may be in the same stage of construction we have used wild flower mixes to stabilize the soils until final grading can be done and the lawn is able to be planted . yes some call most of the mix weeds but they flower and looks better then just tall weeds.

I never even thought about that! Such a great idea. And we moved in middle of March so we totally could have planted wildflower seeds.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[BeckyK]

Well I guess we're not done waiting. My husband got a call this morning from our excavator. He got called to do an emergency job for the township. We have been rescheduled for Friday! This is killing me!! LoL

 

[GBBUDD]

my contractor was super, a great guy always there and never a delay or excuse.

 

[Lisak1]

my contractor was super, a great guy always there and never a delay or excuse.

You're so funny @GBBUDD - if you can't count on yourself, then who can you count on, right? Mine was Johnny on the spot, too - he knew mom wasn't making him 3 meals a day and keeping up with his laundry for nothing!

 

[GBBUDD]

You're so funny @GBBUDD - if you can't count on yourself, then who can you count on, right? Mine was Johnny on the spot, too - he knew mom wasn't making him 3 meals a day and keeping up with his laundry for nothing!

Thought i got away with it for a minute there

 

[addy1]

Thought i got away with it for a minute there

ummmmmmmmmmmm no! I find it hard to find people that work like I do. Get it done.