Ponds can look like a mucky mess if you do not maintain the pond’ outflow pipes. If your pond has dark water and smells then the issue might be your water outflow.
Whether it’s a spillway, a sluice gate, or a pipe, your pond’s outlet must be durable enough to funnel pond overflow year-round as well as withstand damage done by winter frost and ice.
Pipes sticking out of pond beds can look ugly so many homeowners create a spill way through landscaping. Natural spillways eliminate pipe costs and risks of leakage.
The simplest pond outlet is a natural earth spillway. It may be prone to erosion, but usually this is overcome with stone, ledge, or other reinforcing material. If your pond is flooding, consider using a large rock or ledge made of rock or wood to prevent the erosion process. You can also build one of concrete but often concrete will crack in the winter or develop leaks. Upkeep is very necessary for a landscaped pond opt always look good so if this is not something you can figure out yourself you might be dealing with a lot of pond maintenance all the time.
As with your inflow pipes make sure that leaves and other debris don’t clog the outflow channel. Sometimes a spillway will draw floating leaves and debris to the outlet, where it must be skimmed or regularly of raked out. Even the wind can blow leaves into the outlet and suddenly you have a flooded back yard.
Ponds are usually piped through either a horizontal or slightly tilted overflow, or through what’s called a trickle tube (also known as a drop inlet). A horizontal pipe is relatively simple to install just a foot or so below shore level, with a slight downward tilt. Pipes are often used in embankment ponds because they offer no-erosion overflow as well as the option of attaching a drain for repairs and clean-outs.
During spring, the ground beneath the pipe can erode and can drain the pond, damaging the embankments in the process. One remedy for this is to attach what is called an anti-seep collar to your outflow pipes. The collars may be plastic, steel, or concrete. Usually tar is used to seal the seam.
A small leak or modest amount of erosion round a horizontal pipe should not be difficult to fix by yourself. Sometimes laying a stone or a log over the leak and tamping down the earth around it solves the problem.