Hi,
We have a major problem with an 18″ culvert in our pond road that drains into a smaller pond.
Every spring the ice lifts the culvert on the inlet side and water gets under and then starts running beside the culvert. Presently, we have about a 3′ washout along 1 side of the culvert.
Plan a is to order a load of 3-5″ rocks,followed by several loads of clay but I think the ice will still lift the culvert in spring…
Plan b is to drain the pond below the culvert,add a fabricated elbow that will extend up and allow the main culvert to remain 4′ lower and possibly avoid being lifted by frost/ice. A woodbox over the elbow might be added to add furthur protection.
Plan c is just rocks…dig up the culvert and fill the hole with 5″ rocks with a controllable gate on outlet side…hard part is the controllable gate…
Climate is northwestern ontario…-40 in the winter and this road has washed out several times so we really want to do it right this time. Certainly would appreciate any thoughts…
cheers,
silver
Replies
My father's pond had a similar problem. We put in a standpipe to drain the pond (actually two with one 4" higher as a back up against the beavers damming the first on up. We put in a culvert under the road and above both standpipes as a secondary backup. This has worked perfectly for over ten years.
I have no idea of the prices of these things, so this may not be practical. How about a 6 or 8 foot diameter culvert buried with only 16" showing above grade?
Is the culvert just used as an overflow drain for the pond or does a constant stream of water pass though it?
If a constant stream runs through it, a some what larger culvert (42 to 48" dia) set so that the bottom of the culvert is 4-6" below the waterline at it lowest point during the year will work.
If it is overflow protection, Bury it completly below the waterline with an elbow up to the highest waterline desired.
There should be no need to put a enclosure over the stand pipe beyond maybe a grate to keep varmits and debris out.
Terry
Not exactly sure what you mean by "pond road". Do you mean a road that goes over a pond dam?
Outting rock alongside a culvert is a bad idea. The water will force it's way through the rock and slowly start eroding things away.
I've seen guys weld a "collar" around culverts - A sheet of metal a couple of feet square that keeps water from washing down the side of the culvert.
I've also seen guys pour concrete in a "collar" around a culvert for the same reason.
Some more details or a picture might net you some more advice.
The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their committment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. [Vince Lombardi]
Thanks to all for your quick replys...
Schellingm-what does a stand pipe look like? and "we put a culvert under the road and above both stand pipes" I'm not getting the right picture here.
Uncle Dunc-a 6' culvert would be prohibitively expensive
TLE-constant water and an overflow during heavy rain
Boss Hog-pond road- It is the dam. There is a natural depression and legend has it that an old Finlander created a cart track with a wheelbarrow as the first dam. Prior to our purchasing this property, the road was built up with gravel for log trucks. We later hired a Drott to dredge loon #### on top of the road to add height ,with more gravel from our own pit on top.
Our gravel doesn't pack and washes out easily.The weak spot has always been the culvert-we have yet to solve this.
The elbow appeals to me because it would be harder for beavers to dam up and we could control the height of the water. I'm thinking of building a wood box as an elbow 4-5' from shore and have the culvert extend into it. DW says she saw something like this on a farm in southern ontario.
I'll try a take a picture asap of what it looks like now.
Really appreciate all of your ideas...
silver
The standpipe is an elbow made of culvert pipe, one leg of the elbow extending under the road or dam and the other leg extending to the water surface. Water falls into the pipe and travels under the dam. It is possible to get these with a valve at the bottom that can be opened to drain the pond, though I don't know how reliable these valves are over the long run.
The advantages to these standpipes is that they take away all the water pressure from the side of the pond . In our case there is a stream running through the standpipe all year long, though not much in the summer.
"Our gravel doesn't pack and washes out easily."
Offhand, I'd say that's the majority of your problem. Gravel just won't stand up to constant water flow.
A dam needs to be built of clay to hold up in a situation like that.
Dramatically lowering the water level behind the dam might help. But re-building the dam is the only thing that's likely to work 100% fer sure. Unfortunately it's also rather expensive...Those who watch time never see it.
Cool. Thanks,
silver
Here are some j-pegs of pipe installations standard used in the province of Ontario. When the culvert is located above the frost line generally frost tapers are used from just beneath the pipe to the subgrade (earth material below the road surface). I would suggest you contact either your regional road engineering dept. or try the regional section of the Ministry of Transportation if they could help out. Since soil type and frost depth play an important role in design they may be able to suggest local practices. I will see if I can get more info in the meantime.
Freddy S.