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Post by honker on Jun 1, 2023 14:33:29 GMT -6
This is the pond build/expansion that I would like to pull off. The previous owner dug the existing pond to get fill for the driveway and shed foundation. It ranges in size from just under 0.5 acre in the spring to <0.1 acre depending on how dry it is. It always holds water to a certain depth even in the driest year. Normal depth is around 7' and it doesn't freeze out completely. I don't know if it would be as simple as digging out the perimeter to a desired depth so that it gathers more water in the spring or if it would naturally drain to the current low point regardless. If I needed to have an aerator it is in a good location for a solar or close to the shed if for grid power backup. Would be a sweet feature to have on the property though. This is the perimeter in the spring after snow melts This is the standard perimeter that holds water all year
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Post by benmnwi on Jun 1, 2023 14:50:47 GMT -6
That looks nice. I think if you brought in a guy with an excavator and bulldozer you could have a much bigger pond for about $10k-$20k. If it is just fed by runoff, they could probably pump the pond dry and then start moving out digging with an excavator and pushing it back with a bulldozer. Around here, it's about $1000 per day for excavator or bulldozer work.
If they could pump the pond dry, I think they could make your pond 20' deep in the center fairly easily. There appears to be a little slope to the right, so perhaps putting all the removed soil on the downhill side would allow it to catch more runoff and maintain a little more water.
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Post by benmnwi on Jun 1, 2023 15:04:39 GMT -6
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Post by benmnwi on Jun 1, 2023 15:10:05 GMT -6
This is a couple pictures of the pond my neighbor made that backs up on my land. He built a dam and it collects water from a spring that periodically flows from my land to his. Last fall when the water table was really low, I hired a bulldozer to move some dirt on my side of the property to increase the water on my side of the property line. The slide in the background is on my neighbor's land and the oaks just in front of that are on my land. I have about 75 yards of water on my side that is maybe 5-20 yards wide in spots. My land only held about 1/3 of this amount of water prior to the bulldozer work, so I'm happy with how it turned out.
The sticks sticking up in the water is a fish structure I made from old cedar fencing. I buried some vertically in the dry creekbed last year and then put down alternating layers of cedar logs and rocks in between the vertical posts. There isn't much structure in the pond, so I think this should help hold fish.
My neighbor stocked it with a bunch of fish 5 years ago and trout lived for a couple years before drought and high water temps killed them. He since dug his side deeper and added 2 aerators, so I think most fish should survive both winter and hot summers now. Time will tell I guess.
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Post by smsmith on Feb 7, 2024 9:51:10 GMT -6
Resurrecting this thread instead of continuing to post on one of Ben's....I know in WI if an area is classified as wetland, you're almost certainly not going to be able to build a pond able to sustain fish. Is the same true in MN? I just checked the wetlands map for my place, and of course where I want to put a pond is considered a "shrub swamp" which is obviously a wetland
I do have another spot or two that I considered for a pond, but they're much farther from the house and a source of electricity to run aerators.
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Post by biglakebass on Feb 7, 2024 10:24:58 GMT -6
MNFish uses solar powered aerators.
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Post by smsmith on Feb 7, 2024 10:28:07 GMT -6
MNFish uses solar powered aerators. Ya, I know he did when we visited his place years ago. I figured he had upgraded to grid service once he built a retirement home there, but maybe I'm wrong. Solar this winter wouldn't have done much. Last winter I would have been busy as hell clearing solar panels off. I'd much prefer the consistency and convenience of grid power.
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Post by benmnwi on Feb 7, 2024 11:52:04 GMT -6
In Rochester there is a small pond next to Fleet Farm that has (or at least it used to have) a windmill style aerator on a pond. I don't know anything about them, but they don't look too complex.
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Post by Bob on Feb 7, 2024 21:02:03 GMT -6
Resurrecting this thread instead of continuing to post on one of Ben's....I know in WI if an area is classified as wetland, you're almost certainly not going to be able to build a pond able to sustain fish. Is the same true in MN? I just checked the wetlands map for my place, and of course where I want to put a pond is considered a "shrub swamp" which is obviously a wetland I do have another spot or two that I considered for a pond, but they're much farther from the house and a source of electricity to run aerators. What I learned talking to the water cops is that you can dig the wetland, but you’re gonna have to buy credits to replace whatever you’re digging. The classification dictates the replacement cost. When I asked about my neighbor’s wetland, it would have been $16,000 to take out a half or quarter acre. It was ridiculous. I’d see if you have a flat spot right next to the wetland and dig there. That was my backup plan. Much easier to move an extra 2’ of dirt than buy credits. But, I’d find out the replacement cost of whatever type u have. It may be way less. The one my neighbor had was the most expensive category.
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