It’s Been So Dry, We Decided to Build Some Ponds

You may have heard that it has been super dry in this part of the country. I can tell you that the rumors are in fact true. We’ve been here 7 years and that’s nothing compared to many of our neighbors. They all agree, it’s never been this bad. Supposedly (this is third-hand now) an old-timer who lives in Milford has been keeping detailed weather records since 1955 and it’s never been drier. We have only one of our ponds that is still holding out. Our well is still going strong but it’s 700 feet deep.

So, with it being so dry, it’s the perfect time to build new ponds in what would otherwise be fairly soggy places much of they year. Right now all soggy places are bone dry.

That’s Noah up there standing by the side of the second pond we built.

The real experts on pond/tank building are San Davis and Lee Harris. They brought their laser levels and their big bulldozers and a load of experience and built these tanks in no time at all. It was amazing how much dirt they moved in a short time.

It’s a big job requiring big equipment. We ended up building and/or redigging 6 ponds.

With Diane and Noah standing in you get some perspective.

Here’s Noah atop the dam on the new pond.

It’s hard to portray how deep a hole is by pictures, but with the boys and dogs running through it, you get an idea at least.

That loud bulldozer and pile of dirt has Noah a little concerned. Of course, he’s far out of danger, so if you’re inclined to worry, don’t.

Like my Dad always says: “I’m fascinated by work; I could watch it for hours at a time!”

If it ever starts raining, these ponds will be a blessing for this place. If they do a good job holding water, then we’ll need to fence around them and siphon off water to water the cattle. That’s the idea — protect the area around the pond so it doesn’t get ruined by tromping cattle.