Had a brief consultation with my buddies Fred and Jack ( from Porter Construction) yesterday about my big dam project. Caught them at just the right time and they brought the dozer out today to start work. I tell all the folks that come out for the tour that someday I would like to dam the deep canyon on my property. Well that day has apparently come. Fred is a wizard with the dozer and is about halfway done with the earth moving. This sucker is gonna hold back a lakes worth of water. Look for the Field Lab Bass Fishing Tournament next year. 72,85,46,0,C
17 comments:
jeeesh, this is legal??? I live in WI and the DNR has all types of rules about streams & rivers. (trout habit, runoff, navigable waterway, erosion, and on and on.....).
Obviously I know NOTHING about TX regs, so good luck! Sounds like a great swimming hole!
Mama loves her some fried bass ... mhmm .. she does.
Hello, Mr. Wells :)
I wouldn't think a run-off ditch would be regulated. That's not a stream, creek or any other type of waterway that I can imagine. I would guess that as long as he doesn't cause flooding with his dam no one will care.
But...I'm no government know-it-all either.
I would think a swimmin' hole would be a big draw in that area. As well as longhorn waterin hole, donkey waterin hole, bird waterin hole and someday maybe even a lonely crane may fly in with frog eggs on its feet and start a nice frog population....
What are you going to name the lake? Lake Wells or the Benita Reservoir?
I remember how quickly your other, smaller impoundment silted up. This one will, also. They all do. I just hope it's not too soon. Build a big enough impoundment, and it will be years before it's noticeable. And it looks as if you've got a pretty big one there. Not trying to be negative. It's just that natural forces will have their way, eventually. Good luck with the project, and I hope you get some good rain soon to fill it up.
John,
What's the word on the ground, do you have any geo tech. info. to know if it will hold water? Is there any clay in the area, it makes a great liner? The guy building the lake will know. Looks like you may be able to grow corn and mellons after all.
I am also interested in the legalities. In Colorado you can't touch a drop of the precious H2O unless you have had water rights dating back over a hundred years or more.
I meant to ask too, will the new watering hole bring in any snakes?!
That's something I will never miss about Texas.
You may want to mix some bentonite with that earth dam, other wise you may have a quick washout on your hands. http://www.sturgismaterials.com/bentonite.htm
Lime is also a great soil stabilizer. We mixed it into all our dirt sub-grades when I worked in road building.
John, be careful, you are definitely may be pushing the limit on some riparian/wetland state or federal regs...I don't want you to get in trouble....perhaps pull these photos, or thread?
If it doesn't drain into a river (or large creek that eventually drains into a river) you should be ok...this is Texas and if you drive around, the state, you will see 10's of thousands of stock tanks, that use man made damns to hold water for stock... also if the drainage feeds someone else's property that depends on that water for stock, you might have a problem also. I'm not sure if that soil will hold water anyway (not to be negative either, just saying...)
Fear not...I am well within my rights with this project. Funny thing is - no one uttered a peep about my first little dam.
Same as nobody will comment on a zit on your face but when you break out in boils it's something else
If you build it...they will come. Fish, snakes, mules, birds, frogs, dnr...there goes the neighborhood ;D
The funny thing is that most people don't realize that most of the beautiful lakes and water holes that you see by the road driving the roads of Texas were dug by the highway department free of charge in exchange for the dirt to help with the building of the highways! Not all people will let them do it though!
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