Rain? How to deal with lots of it?

[RoyalFeather]

Here ont he coast it rains a lot during the winter. Like as much as 3" in one day during a big storm and it's all cold rain.

Any tips for lots of rain? I will have an overflow that is screened off to keep the fish in.

 

[j.w]

We get a lot of rain up here too but not 3" at a time but I have two levels of river rock all around the edge of my pond and if the pond over flows the water just slowly squeezes through the cracks and doesn't pour out. Lots of plants stuck in between in the cracks also. If you have your overflow area screened you should be ok I would think.

 

[DrCase]

Keep the edge of the pond up at least 6" above grade
I have had big rains just flow right out the over flow with no worries

 

[Mmathis]

My concern, too, plus we have dense clay soil that doesn't drain quickly enough if there is a deluge. Per advice from this forum, I found one spot along the pond edge where I slightly recessed the soil in my berm then laid the liner over it -- it created a small channel. In my case, I placed drainage tubing [screened, like yours] in the channel [on top of the liner, of course]. ran it out from the pond so there was some place for the water to go. Others, have done the same but without the drainage tubing, just rocks. And some have done combos, but added either French drains or "dry creek beds" to help channel the excess water away from the pond. And like DrCase said, be sure to elevate the top edge of the pond! It's probably more important to keep the yard run-off OUT of the pond -- no big deal if you lose pond water as long as your fishies don't float out with it

Try a search here for drainage issues, as I recall some excellent discussions.

BTW, like your name, RoyalFeather!

 

[Waterbug]

In addition to building liner ponds slightly above grade to keep liner from floating, and having some kind of overflow...test KH levels. Most people seem to think rain has a pH of 7.0 but it's actually in the 5 range and can be 2 or 3 which is the same as vinegar.

 

[Mmathis]

In addition to building liner ponds slightly above grade to keep liner from floating, and having some kind of overflow...test KH levels. Most people seem to think rain has a pH of 7.0 but it's actually in the 5 range and can be 2 or 3 which is the same as vinegar.

Oh, good point, WB! I think of rain water as being "soft," but hadn't considered the pH! "Acid rain."

 

[Waterbug]

Not just acid rain. All rain is acidic. But yeah, acid rain is even more acidic.

 

[jhenkel]

For what it's worth; that's why I keep a block of plaster in the skimmer box

McKool

 

[Waterbug]

Plaster, oyster shell, concrete, etc., are very slow pH buffers. They will eventually raise pH back up, but there can be a pH crash in the mean time. Pond keepers who need stable pH use fast buffers like baking soda. Most water gardens, at least in hard water areas, can get away with no or poor pH buffers.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I've seen lots of case where people have a natural hole or depression in their yard that accumulates a pool of water when it rains, a light bulb goes off in their head and they think "that would be a great spot for a pond". It seems like a good idea to turn that area, that already has water in it, into a pond, but it's a big mistake, but by the time they realize why it's too late.

 

[Mmathis]

Our berm was made by building up and compacting the soil [clay dirt] from the dig. We compacted the sides as best we could and leveled everything [used a water level system]. But soon after it was filled, we had some big, big rains over a couple of weeks time. We found one spot where the edge was lower and the pond was overflowing there [it wasn't where I'd put the drain], into a place in the yard that already has poor drainage -- the edge was high enough to keep the yard water out, but not to keep the pond water in. Just this past week was able to pull the liner back and build that edge up. What I think had happened was this was my walk-in entry point, and I was further compacting the edge whenever I got into the pond.

If you make a berm, also be sure it's the same size [depth, width, whatever] all around as well as the same height. And if it is a soil berm, consider making it higher than you would think, because the soil will continue to compact.

 

[RoyalFeather]

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't think about the PH level of the rainwater effecting anything. Yikes! I'll have to look into the hardness of rainwater here. No idea what it is.

Oh, and Turtle, Royal Feather Estates is the name of my Bird Buisiness, too! My current water feature is in my Aviary for the Pigeons, Quail, and Miniature Chickens to enjoy.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't think about the PH level of the rainwater effecting anything. Yikes! I'll have to look into the hardness of rainwater here. No idea what it is.

All "normal" rainwater is very soft, it's the PH that can vary a bit, from mildly acidic to strongly acidic (acid rain). Usually strongly acidic rain forms downwind of areas where there is a lot of industrial pollution, however nature can produce some acid rain on it's own, like from volcanic fallout.

 

[Waterbug]

Thunderstorms can also produce rain in the 2 pH range.