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I have a natural spring that drains down the driveway. I want to build a pond but not sure how with the water drainage.
I have a natural spring in my yard but the water drains out down my driveway. I want to build a pond or find a way to stop the drainage. Suggestion
- Thread starter Rustysflygirl
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j.w
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How neat to have a natural spring to use for a pond!
Might be helpful to see photo's of your property and the water drainage spot especially. Are you on a hill or flat? How much property do you have? You might need permission from your county or city to do any water diversions. Obviously water runs down hill so after your pond fills you will choose for it to drain somewhere where it won't bother you or anyone else.
Welcome @Rustysflygirl! Wow, talk about lucky. @j.w asked some good questions. I wonder how will you keep your pond water from ultimately flowing back into the spring? It could be an environmental issue especially if you choose to keep non-native species. Pathogens and non-native fishes (especially their tiny offspring) could flow into the local waterways. You might consider some sort of diverter that allows you to initially fill and periodically top off your pond without a 'flow through' design. That way, nothing gets released. Welcome and we look forward to hearing your plans.
Using a spring if it is a deep one is not a problem generally but you never know you may have the one spring with an issue is would get the water tested before I did anything.
Discharging however as has been mentioned directly to a stream is a potential problem. As like myself I have found fry that have been sucked into a pvc pipe made their way through a pool basket strainer , past the impeller doing 3700 rpm, pushed through 75 feet of pipe dumped below almost 3 feet of gravel and end up swimming and
growing in the bog.
So it is beyond a possibility that fry could end up in a local water way which can land you in some hot water.
Discharging however as has been mentioned directly to a stream is a potential problem. As like myself I have found fry that have been sucked into a pvc pipe made their way through a pool basket strainer , past the impeller doing 3700 rpm, pushed through 75 feet of pipe dumped below almost 3 feet of gravel and end up swimming and
growing in the bog.
So it is beyond a possibility that fry could end up in a local water way which can land you in some hot water.
Hi! I also have a spring in my yard out front. We considered a few options: turtle pond, filtered watering station, and storing it for watering. We found out there used to be a decent-sized pond where the cul de sac ended. My awesome neighbor is a mechanical engineer and he thought we should pump and store green water to the top of the hill, so that is what we are doing! We have 400 gallon enclosed or covered tanks ($100 from Craig's List and storage- I have my father's open-top wine barrow we have pumped water into and out of with floats). Shared combined cost was about $250 for the pump, 3/4" irrigation hose and attachments, and including digging laborer (removed cinderblock retaining wall and dug just behind and below the sidewalk. Our spring pumps about 1 gallon per minute, so we have a finished the line to the city drainage pipe leading back out to the bay... and I have a turtle pond I built; from a line off the main line, for refilling with a separate overflow valve. LOVE IT ALL!
The pond is about half way up, which has kept the pump primed, any lower and it wouldn't work effortlessly.
j.w
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Would love to see some photos i would kill to have a spring on the property. god only knows what i'd create
We have the same situation. We have spring water flowing onto our property which continues on its way down to a stream at the bottom of our garden. We have a clay puddled pond which was created by cattle in the 19th century to provide them with drinking water but now we have the pleasure of looking at it. Advantages are lovely clean trickling water and thriving pond life. Disadvantages are you cannot treat problems very easily as any treatments remain uncontained. It's worth repeating you have to be extremely careful about what you plant or stock to ensure it's not invasive or foreign or harmful in any way to your local waterways, flora and fauna.
We did make the mistake in our ignorance of planting an innocent little so-called oxygenating plant which is now a horrendous problem. We have had to put a plastic base over the clay to prevent this weed taking over the centre of the pond. It really is charming to have a natural pond. We have newts, frogs, and a lot of snails Which unfortunately are not the right type for effective cleaning but will be importing the right kind soon. We grow irises and lilies, and the grandchildren love swimming and exploring in it. It's environmentally beneficial and I wouldn't be without it. To help the water escape at the other end, It's the simplest thing to divert water down a pipe or shallow stream on your natural slope. Good luck!
We have the same situation. We have spring water flowing onto our property which continues on its way down to a stream at the bottom of our garden. We have a clay puddled pond which was created by cattle in the 19th century to provide them with drinking water but now we have the pleasure of looking at it. Advantages are lovely clean trickling water and thriving pond life. Disadvantages are you cannot treat problems very easily as any treatments remain uncontained. It's worth repeating you have to be extremely careful about what you plant or stock to ensure it's not invasive or foreign or harmful in any way to your local waterways, flora and fauna.
We did make the mistake in our ignorance of planting an innocent little so-called oxygenating plant which is now a horrendous problem. We have had to put a plastic base over the clay to prevent this weed taking over the centre of the pond. It really is charming to have a natural pond. We have newts, frogs, and a lot of snails Which unfortunately are not the right type for effective cleaning but will be importing the right kind soon. We grow irises and lilies, and the grandchildren love swimming and exploring in it. It's environmentally beneficial and I wouldn't be without it. To help the water escape at the other end, It's the simplest thing to divert water down a pipe or shallow stream on your natural slope. Good luck!
Yeah, photos would help if you can provide them...just know that when you dig the retention pond, no matter what size or depth, once it fills up it will continue to overflow and continue to flow down your driveway...it would be awesome to create a rock lined 'creek bed' beside the driveway if possible, but the outlet (at the street I'm presuming?) will still flow freely wherever it is now...
Building a pond in high water table can be done successfully , but it does require aunderliner drains / create a path of least resistance, so that the liner is not that easiest path and is lifted to the surface aka the hippo