Libertypondgrowth Jalbum input  (30 Slides) [Page 1 of 1]  
LibertyPh2Wk5001small * JULY 15, 2006 We are very near completed with excavating the entire project. We are standing at the front edge of the building site pad, looking toward the dam at the far end. Donna is standing between the two monster holes that were created to get though the layer of topsoil, exposing the thick layer of blue clay below. This clay was extracted with the track hoe and laid up across the entire front face of the building site pad on which we stand right now. This pad was built up with about 5000 cubic yards of soil and clay removed from the pond basin down below. The blue clay was packed along the entire face of this pad to create a liner, preventing the pond water from potentially seeping into the new pad and compromising it's structural integrity. We left the holes as a bonus for bottomscaping. At normal pool, these holes will be 20 feet deep. * 640 x 480 * (61KB)
PH2ponddone033-034stitchsmall * JULY 25, 2006 This is pretty much it for digging and pushing soil. We are back at the front edge of the building site pad, surveying one big thirsty pondsite. In an effort to contain our excitement and apprehension, we are considering the fill-up period to be a 2 year wait. My best estimates have us at about 13 - 14 million gallons to be full. Now, it's up to Mother Nature. * 640 x 279 * (29KB)
Phase2ponddone 005small * JULY 25, 2006 The drain has been closed for about a week. Let the fill-up begin. We are standing on the south end of the dam, looking across the wide, flat basin in front of it. The sand beach is at the other side. An interesting reference for depth will be the black pipe in the basin below. It is the drain filter case and stands about 6 feet tall from the bottom. * 640 x 480 * (47KB)
Phase2ponddone 024small * JULY 25, 2006 We have taken a number of pics while standing in the basin before the water arrives. The plan is to never be able to do this again....at least, that's the plan. We are looking toward the dam, rising in the distance. The 6 ft tall drain filter case can be seen projecting from the bottom; it sits in a wide, shallow puddle of water. Old reliable is parked atop the dam. The primary spillway pipe can be seen just to the right of the car; a black hole near the top of the dam. The bottom of this pipe will dictate the elevation of the normal pool. This is our goal. * 640 x 480 * (62KB)
10-8-06stitchsmall * OCTOBER 8, 2006 This is one cool pic. How blue do you like your sky? We are using our selected reference point of the front edge of the building site pad for progress pics. The 2 monster holes are full of water; they flank each side of the dirt hump right out in front. * 640 x 278 * (24KB)
10-8-06018small * OCTOBER 8, 2006 We are standing on the south perimeter road, very near the dam (to the left). This is a good shot of depth progress as it allows use of the drain filter case as a gauge. The primary spillway pipe is near the top of the dam to the left. The pipe and run-off directly across is the drain pipe for a wide, shallow draw that runs back into the woods beyond. The pipe allows the run-off that collects in the draw to be fed into the pond. * 640 x 480 * (55KB)
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10-21-06stitchsmall * OCTOBER 21, 2006 Taken from same area at the front of the building site pad. * 640 x 283 * (23KB)
10-29-06030small * OCTOBER 29, 2006 During one of the numerous weekends of doing other projects, I just happen to catch some shots on a very calm day, right when the sun is setting behind us. This was not planned, but as the amateur that I am, I operate with the
11-21-06stitchsmall * NOVEMBER 21, 2006 This one is taken from the dam, looking back toward the building site. The top of the black drain filter case is just about submerged; about 6
12-17-06stitchsmall * DECEMBER 17, 2006 Taken from the building site reference spot. We are less than a foot from covering the last little hump exposed within the basin. The little black patch of soil is the top of the hump that we created directly between the 2 monster holes. * 640 x 293 * (19KB)
12-23-06040small * DECEMBER 23, 2006 We are standing on the dam, looking back to the building site. The entire bottom is now covered. As much as this is a milestone, it is only a beginning. As the water fills, the shoreline will continue to push to the left, up into the timber. We are about 7 feet deep in the basin directly in front of us. There is about another 7 feet of depth to go. It is this last 7 feet that will be the bulk of the water needed to really fill 'er up. * 640 x 480 * (30KB)
12-23-06beachstitchsmall * DECEMBER 23, 2006 This shot is a stitch of 3 pictures. It is taken from the knoll at the sand beach. The beach pier framing awaits a good deal on decking. We are looking south toward the perimeter road that follows the shore. The dam is to the right. The launch is to the left on the other side. The building site is a little further to the left of the launch, just out of frame. * 640 x 201 * (15KB)
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12-23-06padstitchsmall * DECEMBER 23, 2006 Taken from the same building site reference point, but this time I have walked down the slope to the edge of the current pool. Yep, all the peaks and valleys of the bottomscaping are submerged. Cool. * 640 x 280 * (19KB)
1-13-07 032small * JANUARY 13, 2007 Man, we don't want to get our hopes too high, but the rain continues to come and the water continues to rise. We haven't been here for about 2 weeks and the level has gone up about another foot. We are standing on the right (north) end of the building site pad, at the front edge. This shot is across the wetland zone; the sand beach is straight away on the other end of the fish structure. The Wood Duck houses are installed along the timber line. The poles are in what will be about 2 - 3 feet of water when she's brim full. All that structure that we installed last August on dusty dry land is submerging as planned. It feels like it was just last month that we were walking around on the bottom in work boots. Pretty cool. * 640 x 480 * (43KB)
1-13-07stitchsmall * JANUARY 13, 2007 Taken from the front edge of the building site. It just rained about 2-1/2
1-13-07024small * JANUAR 13, 2007 One of those shots that tells a number of little stories. We are standing on the bank by a fish spawning zone (or at least I hope it will be a spawning zone). This assembly of fish structure was just completed today. We are looking across the launch and pier/deck to the building site pad beyond. The dry-hydrant intake pipe is getting it's feet wet just the other side of the launch. The stack of 13 truck tires, assembled for fish structure, has just submerged. The next milestones will be the intake pipe; then the launch. * 640 x 480 * (53KB)
1-28-07005,006stitchsmall * JANUARY 28, 2007 Taken from the front/center of the building site reference. The first substantial freeze. We haven't been back for a visit in 2 weeks. When we left 2 weeks ago, the rain was still comin'. The weather service reported another 1-1/2
1-28-07 031small * JANUARY 28, 2007 We have walked over to the south end of the dam, looking toward the knoll and beach area at the other side. The wetland zone is just beyond, along the treeline stretching off to the right of the frame. This end of the pond appears to be frozen solid all along the entire shoreline, but I wouldn't consider ice skating just yet. It looks like some smaller critters have already tested it for rabbit sized support...hope they made it across. * 640 x 480 * (31KB)
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1-28-07 042small * JANUARY 28, 2007 The water level has reached the end of the poured concrete boat launch. It may seem trivial, but considering we were pouring this slab this last summer on totally dry ground makes it seem like a distant memory. We know the elevation of the end of the boat launch pad. This means that we are about 5'-4
3-24-07012,013stitchsmall * March 24, 2007 We have weathered the winter well. It appears that the shifting ice has not caused alot of damage to the fish habitat structure that got frozen into the surface. A couple of the PVC trees got pushed over to a tilt; that's about it. We have picked up a little over 2 feet of depth since the last set of pics. This leaves a little over 3 ft more to achieve normal pool. The sand beach is just beginning to slip below the water surface on the opposite shore. The tips of the tire pyramids and PVC trees can barely be seen poking out of the water at far right/frame. * 640 x 266 * (19KB)
3-24-07051,052stitchsmall * March 24, 2007 A shot from the dam. The building site is center/frame with the launch and dock/deck just to the right of it. The beach and pier are left/frame. * 640 x 284 * (18KB)
3-24-07056,057stitchsmall * March 24, 2007 A nice shot from next to the beach at our left. The water level has crept up to not only the support foundation for the dock, but is preparing to back up into the timber in the wetland area beyond the beach, at far left/frame. The Wood Duck nesting boxes can be seen along this same timberline that will soon be flooded. The building site pad is center/frame and the launch and dock/deck to its immediate right. Finally, the fish habitat cribs and related structure to the right of the launch are about 18
4-1-07004,005stitchsmall * April 1, 2007 One week later; not alot of change. There was a pretty decent rain day this past week and we picked up about 4
4-1-07003small * April 1, 2007 We have purchased the decking for the docks and decks at both the launch (this pic) and the beach at the opposite shore. The plan is to install not only this decking, but the roof on this deck, a little later this spring. About 1/3 of the boat launch is submerged. Our very good friends, Scott and Joyce, have kindly volunteered an old Jon boat for our boating enjoyment. $3 worth of epoxy to fill the holes and I think (hope?) that she's pond-worthy. The fingerling cribs and related spawning structure are close to submerged, right/frame. * 640 x 480 * (71KB)
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4-1-07015,016,017stitchsmall * April 1, 2007 This is a nice 3-picture stitch. We are standing at the other end of the building site pad, but we have stepped down to the water level. We are pretty much standing in the path of the field tile inflow (which is directly behind us about 75 feet). You can just barely see the tops of the tire pyramids and the PVC trees that surround them. About 6
5-20-07 066small * 5-20-07 It's been a few weeks and the waterworks has pretty much turned off. The water level in the pond has receded about 4
7-7-07013,014stitchsmall * 7-7-07 Well, the impressive fill-up that we experienced last fall-winter-early spring has ceased. We topped out at 25
1-12-08010,011stitchsmall * 1-12-08 It's been quite a few months, but we are pleased to report that it's time for an update! We are finding out that the colder months tend to be our best friend when it comes to adding water depth. The colder days and lower sun trajectory across the sky minimizes evaporation (yes, evap is a BIG deal to ponds). Also, the frozen ground forces all rain and snow melt from the surrounding 60 acres of drainage into the pond. Anyway, we just got a couple significant snow/thaw cycles, coupled with rain. We are currently 10
1-12-08073,074stitchsmall * 1-12-08 This shot is from the south perimeter road, looking back toward the building site pad. All the fish habitat structure has gone under the surface (this shoreline to the immediate right is where we located the 2 fingerling cribs, 9 spawn saucers, 6 PVC log structures, and a pyramid of truck tires...they now belong to Neptune). As the water level reaches upward, the piers and decks begin to
1-12-08063,064stitchsmall * 1-12-08 We are now standing on the sand beach, looking back toward the dam (to the right). The south perimeter road is on the opposite shore. This entire area is also taking on a
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