POND DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION
Fish ponds designed and
constructed according to
recommended standards are
relatively safe, easy to
manage, and relatively
economical to build, ac
cording to Perm State’s
Special Circular 263, Fish
Ponds.
Ponds constructed
haphazardly are un
satisfactory and difficult to
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Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
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So you’re thinking about building a farm pond?
maintain.
It pays to obtain in
formation and expert advice
before you start con
struction Educational in
formation can be obtained
from county offices of the
Penn State Cooperative
Extension Service. The
assistance of professional
Soil Conservation Service
personnel is available
through local conservation
district offices.
Construction
permits
Permits for the con
struction of ponds or dams
may be required, depending
on the size of the drainage
area, the height of the dam,
and the capacity of the
impoundment.
A permit is required for
the construction of any dam
that impounds the runoff
from a drainage area that
exceeds 100 acres or
provides a maximum
storage capacity of 50 acre
feet of water (about 16.3
xmllipn gallons) A permit
also is required for any pond
with a dam more than 15 feet
high, even if the pond’s only
source of water is a spring, a
well, or a small pipeline
from a stream.
Permits will not be
required for fish ponds that
do not exceed these
specifications.
The law authorizing fish
pond construction permits is
the Pennsylvania Dam
Safety Act. This law. Act No.
325 of the 1978 legislative
session, became effective
July 1, 1979. Permits are
issued by the Bureau of Dam
Safety, Obstructions, and
Storm Water Management;
Department of En
vironmental R>-
l op width
of dam
The top width of a dam
depends on the height of the
structure. In most cases, the
dam should be wide enough
to permit limited use as a
roadway for farm vehicles
Side slopes
of dam
All earth dams should be
constructed with side slopes
stable enough to prevent
erosion and keep the earth
fill in place. In most in
stances, a a! ope of 3 feet
horizontal t . i r oot vertical
on both th. Lps*ream and
downstream of the
dam will be satisfactory
Under no circumstance
should either face of the dam
or any excavated slope be
steeper than 2:1
Proper slope is especially
important in the shallow
edges of the pond. Water
should be at least 3 feet deep
at a pomt 6 feet out from the
shoreline, to discourage
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12,1980—A23
growth of algae and aquatic
weeds. Experience indicates
it is best to slope the banks
properly at the time of
construction.
Freeboard above
water level
The crest of all earth dams
must be higher than normal
water level to keep waves
and high water from
breaking over the top and
cutting channels through the
structure. After settling, the
top of the dam for a one-acre
or smaller pond should be at
least 3 feet above the normal
water level.
Emergency
spillway
An emergency spillway is
necessary to provide a safe
outlet for flood water.
The spillway should be
constructed in the un
disturbed bank at one end of
the dam It should have a
wide, flatbottomed channel
large enough to handle the
overflow caused by a 50- or
100-year rainfall.
The spillway, including the
side slopes and channel
bottom, should be (Slanted
with a mixture of grass seed
that will produce a thick,
tough sod. Good sod prevents
rushing flood water from
scouring deep ruts in the
channel. The pond should not
be filled with water until the
sod becomes well
established and the spillway
is ready for use.
Pipes through
the dam
A pipe spillway or L
shaped trickle tube should be
installed through the dam to
provide an outlet for the
normal flow of water.
The trickle tube, which
governs the depth of water m
the pond, should be about 12
inches below the bottom of
the emergency spillway. The
tube should be large enough
to dram the full pond down to
normal water level within 24
hours after the flow through
the emergency spillway
ends.
The pipe thru the dam
should be at least 4 inches m
diameter, and preferably 6
to 8 inches.
A combination trickle tube
and drainpipe is highly
desirable for fish-pond
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