How difficult is it to dig a ditch

Or actually more like a small retention pond or whatever else one would suggest. Can maybe get my dads kybota out here, or else rent. Or break down and pay if it's more complicated than I thought. From our home inspection, I knew this would need to be addressed. Couldnt go out, so not sure if there's someplace good to drain to, so I'm assuming some kind of retention. (Maybe would hold enough water to become a 2nd pond and maybe put to some kind of good use? Summertime fish farming?

But trying to decide on what kind of price to ask on a concession for it.


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If that were dry ground I'd say dig into it but that looks like a very inviting place to get badly stuck with a little tractor. A local backhoe/excavation outfit with experience in building and lining ponds might be your best option, time, trouble and money wise.

Hmm. I?d be a little leery of dealing with any sort of drainage situation without maybe consulting with a civil engineer first.

But to answer the question, with the right equipment digging dirt is easy. Now, digging it properly and working slopes are angles takes experience.

Good luck.

What Ray said. Find a civi who specializes in water mitigation or floods. Have them size it and locate it. They might even find you options that don?t involve a pond.

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Originally Posted by Erni

What Ray said. Find a civi who specializes in water mitigation or floods. Have them size it and locate it. They might even find you options that don?t involve a pond.

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Not to mention keeping you out of any possible legal issues with nearby property owners.

My parents had a business next to their residence do some work on their property which resulted in my parents property flooding every time it rained. Let?s just say it wasn?t the best situation for the business owner. I imagine had they consulted with an expert first he may have been able to anticipate the potential impact to surrounding properties.

Looking at that place on maps, it looks like you're likely going to have to make it into a pond around that shop. It's difficult to see the terrain, but it doesn't look like there's a great place for the water to go, except toward the street, which doesn't appear to have much of a ditch.if it just runs over the road, the farmers across the way probably aren't going to like you much if you turn their field into a puddle

What if...it's a spring?

2 of my wife's sons dig ponds ("tanks" in Texas) and do other excavation work for a living. Unfortunately, they're down in central TX. Check the OK forum to see if someone can help you.

Increase the ability of the soil to retain water by adding plants with long tap roots to bust the soil downwards. Add organic material to help the retention. Dale Strickler is a good online resource.

The water holding capacity of organic matter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw3Kcx8A7aQ

Maybe you've found your new garden area if that's where the water drains to? Once you've been able to reduce the surface flooding at least.

One YouTuber dug a hole the size of a trash can and would pump the water out to use watering their trees.

Some people make ponds to aid in firefighting. Colorado has strange laws on water rights and landowners holding water. Is it yours to hold?
In a decades old drought i'm curious where the water is coming from?

Just about everyone with an acreage has a pond on their property down here. Catching rainwater is a thing, too. OK isn't much of a nanny state.

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Originally Posted by Bailey Guns

Just about everyone with an acreage has a pond on their property down here. Catching rainwater is a thing, too. OK isn't much of a nanny state.

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I was trying to come up with a witty quip about taking from those with water and give to those in a drought but its still too early. [Coffee]

Anywho.... to the OP... would it make a difference if you capture the water coming off the roof of the shed? Great spot for some willows (but too close to structures) or a gold fish pond

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Originally Posted by earplug

Some people make ponds to aid in firefighting. Colorado has strange laws on water rights and landowners holding water. Is it yours to hold?
In a decades old drought i'm curious where the water is coming from?

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This is my pending property in eastern Oklahoma

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Originally Posted by Seamonkey

I was trying to come up with a witty quip about taking from those with water and give to those in a drought but its still too early. [Coffee]

Anywho.... to the OP... would it make a difference if you capture the water coming off the roof of the shed? Great spot for some willows (but too close to structures) or a gold fish pond

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There's a pond in back I wanted to maybe expand. A lot will depend on the lay of the land where I get there. The post about trash can resevoir seemed neat. I'd love to put more tree's in front of the property, most are out back. Not sure if it'd be too soggy for fruit tree's which I want to put in those and nuts and just have a bounty for feeding to chickens and goats. Could french drain it though I believe everything slopes to back not front so would have to run around shop.

Here's a video my realtor made of the swampy bits out front.

https://youtu.be/0MaLHvRGpKg

Get a laser or eye level and “shoot to find out where it could drain to. I don’t think a pond would improve drainage or usability. If you do a pond, stack dirt to build a coffer dam to hold back the other water while you dig one side then drain it to the side you dig if that makes sense. It would be way easier to have a small ditch drain water downstream than to make a pond.

Just looking at the video...... it seems the soggy area will drain towards the road (there seems to be a water trail going that way).
Increase the road ditch and run it east? along the road.

The low spot to the left as you look at the house, by the pole, is it dry?

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Originally Posted by Oscar77

Just looking at the video...... it seems the soggy area will drain towards the road (there seems to be a water trail going that way).
Increase the road ditch and run it east? along the road.

The low spot to the left as you look at the house, by the pole, is it dry?

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Will find out Saturday when i see it in person for first time

this is a job for a real track hoe. Like this....80' reach on the boom and check out the teeth on the bucket..

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a5482a8a_c.jpgIMG_0256 by Tim Richard, on Flickr

Sorry of no real help on the issue, sometimes too much water is worse then not enough. Good luck OP...

Just got back. Property is a bit higher on a dead end hillside than i thought. Owner says he never waters just gets enough ground moisture seeping down from the higher hills.

Pond full of a billion big tadpoles and some trees and brush at the edge. Think id like to maybe enlarge it to a useful size, so leaning on French draining the front to back.

The farthest back area is pretty much flattened kinda marshy pantlife already. The front ditch is kinda useless as you can see the slant towards back of house. However i didn't find the water to be as bad as it appeared in photos. And inspectors found no recent structure shifting. But I'll still want to do something as the shop is newer and probably vulnerable