Cleaning a Spring fed dam

[Zane]

Hello. I have a dam that I think has a natural ground spring feeing it from within the dam itself.

I am in Australia and want to take the opportunity of the current drought to clean out the dam with a digger. The dam still has water in it, whereas all other local dams are empty.

I have a fear that I might close over the spring in the process. Is this a real concern, and if so is there anything special I can do in my cleaning to try to make sure it does not happen?

Thanks

 

[Brisel]

Do you have imported clay lining the dam or is it just whatever topsoil/bedrock you have already? If it's the latter I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Zane]

Do you have imported clay lining the dam or is it just whatever topsoil/bedrock you have already? If it's the latter I wouldn't worry too much.

it’s just the natural clay. Is that good and bad?

 

[Goweresque]

If the dam is nearly empty can you not see where the water is flowing in from? There should be a damp spot at least. Presumably any area that has been exposed and completely dried out can't by definition be where the water is coming from?

 

[renewablejohn]

Be very careful if it has a clay liner a ham fisted digger driver can easily punch a hole through the clay liner and you no longer have a dam. When we clean our fish ponds out we take cores only 1 foot at a time. pegging depth to be removed (our clay liner is only approx 2ft thick) From the cores we can then determine how much we dare remove without damaging the clay. Also do it with a bucket without teeth as the clay is easier to see.

 

[Bury the Trash]

if you don't have a use for the remaining water pump it out with a dirty water pump , and carefully observe where the water comes from at the last moments of emptying as said above.

then with the excavator clean out around the spring/feed area carefully so as not to seal it and carefully with a grading or ditching bucket so as not to disrupt the rest of the lining clean out the rest of the dam....,...as also said above.

 

[unlacedgecko]

If the dam is nearly empty can you not see where the water is flowing in from? There should be a damp spot at least. Presumably any area that has been exposed and completely dried out can't by definition be where the water is coming from?

Talc is good for finding a damp spot when you're unsure ?