[ThumbBum]

Anybody out there with experience on pond and wetland construction?

A few years ago I had a 3.5 acre wetland restored on my property by building a dam across a runoff ditch

During a normal year it says full and attrtacts a lot of ducks, the problem is that we have had a lot of really dry summers lately and it tends to dry up in late July/Aug and not refill until late Nov/Dec, by that time its too late for ducks to start using it.

I realize that summer drawdown is bennificial to a wetland habitat, but I need this thing at least half full in late Sept if I want to hunt ducks out of it.

DU and the local Soil Conservation District are no help because they are primarily concerned with area hydrology and spring brooding habitat and dont give a cuss whether or not I get to use it for duck hunting.

DU did offer to help me create another wetland on my property, problme is that it would be right in the middle of my deer refuge area and is therfore unuseable for hunting without messing up my deer season.

I am considering adding a supplemental ground water source to the wetland to insure that it recovers from the summer drawdown by late Sept. I wont go into the details here about how I plan to acomplish this unless someone asks me, but I am an engineer by profession and have done the math, it is doable and not horribly expensive in material or energy costs but does represent a significant investment of time and sweat on my part.

Does anyone out there have any experice with supplimental water sources like this, I would appreciate any insight you can offer.

 

[Ken Martin]

Thumb Bum,

Get in touch with the chapter of Michigan Duck Hunters Association for your area. There is a member named Will Sears who I believe is a wetlands biologist or educated in such. I know that either the Saginaw Bay or Bay City chapter has a pan to help in the creation of wetlands. I would get with them and go to a meeting or two and ask for advice. They are a great bunch of guys and it is in the mission statement to help with wetland habitat.


www.midha.org

Ken Martin
Michigan Duck Hunters Association-Bluewater-President

 

[Blackeagle]

First I'd like to say that I"ve never tried to do what you are, but I was raised on a farm & cattle operation.

Have you considered a old fashioned wind mill? They've been used for over a century to raise water for stock, and still are in some areas.

Not sure what a medium to large sized one would cost these days, but once installed they don't cost a heck of a lot per year to maintain in time or money. And with your degree you'll know very well how to site it and lay the line from it.

And if you'd be willing to take the time to post just a rough outline of what you already have in mind, I'd sure like to read it.

Best of luck! Sounds like a great project.

PS

I'd like to suggest to you that a pond in your core deer area will only make it better. Just don't gun it prior to deer hunting.

And once you've hung your deer, get the decoys and surprise the ducks that by then should be loading it up!

 

[ThumbBum]

Actaully, A windmill was one of my first thoughts for this project, however there are two problems.

1. It would involve drilling another well closer to the wetland
(A sand point is an option, but I think a deeper well would be
better and not just re-circulate shallow groundwater)

2. There are a lot of trees that would have to come down to give
adequate wind in that area or in any area close enough.

Actaully, what I have planned is a lot simpler. My cabin is aonly about 1200ft from the wetland. SO what I plan to do is plumb in another hydrant right off the cabins pressure tank and run 3/4in black plastic tubing (like a home sprinkler system) right to the wetland. I will then use a home sprinker system timer and reverse flow preventer valve located in my cabin to activate to flow for 10-12 continous hours per day during the times of year that the water is needed.
The cabin is at a much higer elevation then the wetalnd so backpressure on the well pump is within its operating specifications. I have also spoken with the contracter who installed the well originally, he assures me that as long as the pump runs continously during the 10-12 hours of operation that the additional wear and tear on the pump will be minimal. (Like a car engine, most wear and tear in the pump comes from starting and stopping)
The well itself is over 200ft deep and has more then adequate drawdown to handle the load. I have calculated the flow, allowing for backpressure, at at least 6gal/min. It should be higher then that due to the elevation of the wellhead and the effects of gravity. I also had environmental concerns about the amount of water this would pull out of the aqufer, but since the cabin gets relatively little use compared to a year round home and the local building codes required that the well and septic be sized for year-round use, I will actually be pulling less water then a family of four.
The plastic tubing is not exactly dirt cheap. but I can get it wholesale though our plumbing supplier at work. I will just lay the pipe on the surface of the ground for starters, if this works longterm I will go ahead and bury it just under the surface. No pont in buring it deep, I can always blow it out with air before the first frost.
The whole project should run me $800-$1000 in initial cost and an additional $70-$80 per month if I ran the pump everyday of that month. Like I said, it aint free, but given the benifits I think I can make it work.

The problem is this, I dont know jack about hydrology. I konw that this wetland is not a groundwater wetland. That is that it was not made by digging a depression into the existing watertable. It was made by buiding a dam across a runoff. Does that mean that I can keep it at least partially fully by pumping in water, or will the water I add just percolate down into the water table. I fairly sure this will work, because even in the driest season, I can dig down a few inches in the center of the wetland and hit water. Guess Im just going to have to bite the bullet and find out.

Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.

 

[Ken Martin]

Thumb Bum,

There is an area in Macomb County that is being "put" into wetlands and one of the largest concerns was, 'will it hold water?'. The hydrology of the area found that there was 30 feet of clay and that the ponds would "hold" water just fine with no pumping needed. I would maybe be concerned about the area just being a sponge to all your work.

Go to the Conservation District before they're all boarded up and see the soil chart for your area. See if the area is condusive to your efforts.

Ken

 

[Blackeagle]

Originally posted by Ken Martin
Thumb Bum,

Go to the Conservation District before they're all boarded up and see the soil chart for your area. See if the area is condusive to your efforts.

Ken

This would be a good idea.

But the country boy answer is that if you can hit watter within a couple inches of the surface in the driest of weather, then you're in great shape. If the water table were lower than that, that water wouldn't be there.

I'd say go for it. And thanks for sharing your ideas.