VERS C A L F O R N

#**

1IFORNIA AGRICULTURAL
iperiment Station
(tension Service
CIRCULAR 467
Revised
 Wet face slope 3 to ]

Upstream toe

so' ->ft-io'-*f- 75'

Here is a cross section of a typical small earth dam showing the

recommended ratios of width to height and naming the main parts.

Dam building is a very involved undertaking. This circular en-

deavors to supply you with practical suggestions which may be
of assistance to you. It is up to you to fit them together as they
apply to your situation.

REVISED DECEMBER 1965

THE AUTHOR:
Lloyd N. Brown is Extension Soils Specialist Emeritus in the Agricultural
Extension Service, Berkeley.

[2]
 *-

About 20,000 small earth dams have been built on California farms in
the last 25 years and more are being built all the time. While many of the
early dams were built primarily as stock-watering ponds, farmers are also
deriving benefits from their reservoirs in the way of irrigation water and
even recreational purposes.

But dams have disadvantages too. They are expensive to build; they
require labor and more expense to maintain properly; they may increase
the nearby mosquito population.

So perhaps a dam would be a good investment for you; perhaps not.

This circular discusses:

The laws involved some are restrictive, some are

beneficial, but you should know
them.

Selection of a site for the dam, the reservoir, the

spillway. undoubtedly
You'll
have to compromise you might
want to give up the idea of
building a dam.

Construction details there are a lot of things to

watch if your dam is to be a
good one.

Maintenance practices for the dam, the spillway,

the reservoir, the watershed.

Management practices for both practical and rec-

reational uses of the reser-
voir.

[3]
Before you start you should know the law

When you build a dam to impound water tations MUST NOT BE COMMENCED
for your own use, in California, you until the owner has applied for and ob-
should be familiar with the regulations tained from the department written ap-
of a number of public agencies. They are: proval of plans and specifications. Other-
wise severe penalties are involved. The
The State Water Rights Board department's address is P.O. Box 388,
To legally impound water for deferred Sacramento.
use, a water right must be secured from Enlarging small dams. Occasionally
this board and anyone proposing to build small dams are built with the idea of later
a dam would do well to write to this enlarging them to a size that will bring
agency for information. The address is them under the supervision of the De-
1140 Resources Building, Ninth and partment of Water Resources. The builder
Streets, Sacramento. of such a dam would be wise to consult
the department in the beginning and use
The Department of specifications for the larger dam to save

Water Resources expensive alterations later.

For instance the department usually
By California statutes, the State Di-
requires that the outlet pipe in large
rector of Water Resources must approve
dams be laid in a trench and backfilled
the design and construction or enlarge-
with concrete, rather than using concrete
ment of all dams over a certain size and/
collars(which are allowed in smaller
or storage capacity. The reason for this
dams). If specifications for the larger
is to assure that sound design principles
dam were used from the start a consider-
and construction procedures are used for
able saving could be effected.
larger dams, to minimize failures. This
procedure not only protects the public Agricultural Conservation
from floods due to dam failure, but makes
available to builders of large dams valu-
Program USDA
If you comply with the regulations of
able technical advice.
this agency when you build a dam, you
This publication, however, is con-
may be entitled to financial help toward
cerned primarily with small dams that
the cost of construction. The agency has
are exempt from supervision by the De-
offices in most California counties.
partment of Water Resources. Such dams
It is not anticipated that there will be
are described as follows:
any material differences between the tech-
1. All dams 6 feet or less in height,
nical recommendations in this publica-
regardless of storage capacity.
tion and the requirements of the ACP.
2. All dams storing 15 acre-feet of
water or less, regardless of height. State Department of
3. All dams less than 25 feet high which Fish and Game
have a storage capacity of less than 50 dam may be
The reservoir behind your
acre-feet of water.
big enough to provide good fishing and
(See pages 6 and 7 for directions on
thus bring you into contact with the regu-
measuring the height of a dam and stor- lations of the Fish and Game department.
age capacity of a reservoir.)
Two kinds of ponds are recognized:
For dams exceeding the above limita- recreational ponds in which the owner,
tions, construction of a new dam or the his family, and friends may fish for fun,

enlargement of any dam above these limi- but license and bag regulations of the

[4
 ; ,

State Fish and Game Department apply Warm-water ponds are those in
commercial ponds in which fish are raised which the summer temperature of the
for sale to restaurants, fishermen, pond water rises above 70 F for several weeks
owners, etc. Consult with the Fish and or more, and in which bass, bluegills
Game Department about regulations that (also known as bream, sunfish, or perch)
apply to this type of pond. and crappie, will thrive. The state will

Trout ponds can be successful only provide free an initial stocking for such
where the water temperature does not ponds if they are less than 25 surface
rise above 70 F for any length of time. acres in size but not less than one-quarter
They will be stocked free by the state, acre.For warm-water ponds larger than
provided the public is allowed to fish 25 them only if
acres, the state will stock
there. The department will provide a list they are open to the public for fishing.
of trout dealers and a transportation per- Since these fish will reproduce in reser-
mit without charge to owners of ponds voirs, restocking may not be necessary.
who do not wish to open them to the There is no closed season on warm-
public. water fish in California.

Before you turn over a shovelful of earth on construction of a dam,

KNOW THE LAW.

Selecting a site may call for a compromise

It is possible to build a dam across a A dam should be as short as possible

watercourse almost anywhere, but it may such as in the narrow part of a canyon.
be practical to build one only when the A long dam requires more fill material
three major elements (the dam, the spill- and is thus more expensive.
way, and the reservoir) will function as Consider the elevation of the proposed
a satisfactory whole. It is rare indeed
dam and reservoir is it higher than the
where optimum conditions for all three area in which the water is to be used?

elements occur together therefore the Can you take water out by gravity or will
selection of a site is nearly always a it have to be pumped? Pumping may be
compromise. expensive.
If no satisfactory compromise between Locate the dam as close as possible
these elements can be made it may be to a supply of medium-textured soil for
impractical to build a dam. construction. Fine-textured clay is likely

But in looking for a site for your dam, to crack when drying; coarse-textured
consider all of the elements separately sand may not hold water.
and collectively. Here are some pointers: Is the proposed damsite accessible by

an existing road? If not, is it practical to

For the dam build an access road? It may be the cost
Do not locate a dam on springs, seeps, of such a road would preclude some
or old landslides all of these indicate damsites.
unstable soil conditions. Avoid boulders If, like some people, you are "disaster-
and outcroppings of rocks on the dam- minded," you may want to consider the
site, as they are difficult to work around. site of the dam in relation to dwellings.

[5]

Would possible failure of the dam endan- can be excavated with a bulldozer. In
ger lives or property below it? some cases it may be necessary to use
How is the site for the dam with refer- dynamite. Here are four possible locations
ence to the proposed spillway and reser- of a spillway, arranged in order of ease
voir? (See below.) and probable economy of construction.
If you can locate your dam just up-
For the Reservoir stream from the confluence of two streams
Will the reservoir hold all the water you can usually build the spillway to the
you will need? (See page 7 for directions undammed stream (see diagram page
for calculating the reservoir volume.) 15). Where possible, it is well to run
Will the watershed above the dam fur- such spillways along the contour and
nish enough runoff to fill the reservoir? bring them into the undammed fork well
This sometimes a guess because rain-
is upstream. This will slow down the flow of
fall and runoff will vary from year to the spillway water and prevent erosion.
year, but if the stream you are damming Occasionally it is possible to construct
is a well-established watercourse this will a spillway through a saddle upstream
indicate an appreciable amount of runoff. from the dam, into another watercourse
Sometimes the water in the dammed that drains an adjacent basin.
stream can be augmented by diverting Many spillways are built around one
water into it from an adjacent stream, end of the dam. When this is done, the
using a contour grade ditch. Such a ditch water must be led into the stream below
can be made by several trips with a plow. the dam without washing the dam itself
It would probably be impractical to make this may be very difficult in a steep-sided

the ditch large enough to carry peak canyon.

flows, so you should avoid diverting As a last resort it might be necessary
water during periods of high runoff. to put a concrete spillway over the center
Avoid locating the reservoir on mate- of the dam but such structures are very
rial that may allow excessive seepage expensive, difficult to maintain, and not
shale and similar formations are fre- infrequently wash out.
quently very porous and even solid mate- It should also be pointed out that a
rial such as granite may have cracks that dam of less than 25 acre-feet storage
will allow water to escape. The best reser- capacity, built on a major stream, will
voir bottom would be a natural layer of require such a large spillway that it may
fine-textured soil. make the cost of the project out of line
Since trees and shrubs should be re- with any benefits to be derived.
moved from the reservoir site (for rea-
sons given later) , consider how dense this For the watershed
vegetation is. If it is very dense, the cost
Check the watershed area for soil ero-
of clearing might be excessive.
sion. Excessive erosion will siltup your
For the spillway reservoir in a relatively short time and
perhaps make the whole project economi-
A spillway can be located in any of
cally unsound.
dam, but
several positions relative to the
in any event a wide, shallow spillway is
usually preferable to a deep narrow one
How to Measure the Storage
(see page 15).
Capacity of the Reservoir
The spillway bottom for at least part To make sure your proposed dam will
of its length should be through material comply with state regulations, and store
that will not wash, such as solid rock. In enough water to meet your needs, you
most instances rock can be found which will want to know the capacity of the

[6]
 . : :

reservoir. To get this information, make Do the same for Area X by Lines CD,
the following measurements: EF and P 2 .

Height of dam. The state defines the Length of CD ^

+ Length of EF
vertical height of a dam as the distance - x Length

between "the level of the natural stream- of F2 = sq. ft in strip CDFE.

bed at the downstream toe (of the dam) In the triangle EFG, find the area as
to the crest (bottom of spillway) of spill-
follows
way," or to the crest of any barrier built
Length of
^ EF , , n ,
x TLength of
.
in the spillway. P3 = sq. ft. in
Area of proposed reservoir. Start-
ing at the crest of the proposed spillway, triangle EFG.
use a level (hand-held or surveyor's) and Add figures for the sq. ft. of all strips

outline the reservoir with lath stakes. and the triangle; divide this total by
Drive stakes at intervals of no more than 43,560 (the sq. ft. in an acre) to get

100 feet. the number of surface acres in the pro-

Using the line between the stakes at posed reservoir.

either end of the proposed dam as a base, A widely used formula assumes that
lay out lines parallel to this base, with the average depth of the reservoir is one

one end of each line at an angle in the third of the maximum depth. So to esti-

shoreline (see diagram, below) mate the capacity in acre-feet, multiply

Lay out as many of these parallel lines the number of surface acres by one third

as necessary. You will then have a series the maximum depth in feet of the pro-

of stripsand one triangle, the areas of posed reservoir.

which can be computed as follows
To get the area of W
(in the diagram)
measure Lines AB, CD, and Pi. Then:
Length of AB+ Length of CD
x Length

of P2 = sq. ft. in strip ABDC.

You can step off the lines shown and obtain

a fairly accurate estimate of your reservoir's
capacity.

Line AB is level with bottom of

proposed spillway.

[7]

Building the dam takes careful preparation

Whether you build the dam yourself Cut-off trench

or hire the work done, you should ha
the details of the completed structure well
mind
have a carefully planned con-
Mos[ watercourses have
and there are
^
{o be ^ el ; them

d s{rata
^
in

equipment
H v
;

struction program by steps Material and

should be available as needed.
buried [n
bed gince (h
..
strata must u
bankg and bekw
]eak wa(er
broken up. diu
be i.
*.
s(ream
^
1
Bulldoze a
^
ex 1 l *l j * trench across the streambed directly be-
Stctke out the damsite , ,
P ,. * .
low the crest 01 the proposed dam. Ihe
The upstream, or wet face of the dam trench need only be about the width of
should have a slope of at least 3 feet the dozer blade and should extend both
horizontally to 1 foot vertically. The ways from the watercourse and to a depth
downstream, or dry face, should have that will insure interruption of all gravel
a slope of at least 2 feet horizontally to stra ta and other pervious material. (See
1 foot vertically. The crest of the dam sketch, page 9.)
should be 10 feet wide so as to provide Backfill the trench with the same mate-
a roadway if necessary. rial that will be used for building the
So assuming an almost level stream- dam. Be sure to get good compaction of
bed, a dam 25 feet high will occupy 135 this material,
feet horizontally.
Upstream slope 75 ft. Moving the soil
Downstream slope 50 ft.

Crest of dam 10 ft.

You are now ready to start bringing in
soil to build the dam and it is assumed
T ta l 135 ft. that the site has been chosen with an
A dam 20 feet high would occupy 110 ample supply of medium -textured soil

feet horizontally and so on. nearby. Do not take soil from the reser-
voir site if the underlying strata are not
Prepare the site very carefully watertight.

Remove all rocks greater than 6 inches

^ing in the soil and spread the fill in
,
allow layers not over 6 inches thick,
in diameter from the entire damsite. Up- ^
The equipment passing over these layers
root and burn or remove all trees and
sho uld result in satisfactory compaction,
stumps. Push off or burn all brush, heavy T
grass and weeds, decaying logs and other
If y u can mld the dam late in the
^
,
s P nn S' whlle the sml ls stlU dam
debris. Any of this material that cannot P ( but
not wet), you will obtain best results. If
be burned should be removed down-
stream not upstream into the reservoir the dam 1S built with dry soil it may be
. necessary to haul in water and sprinkle
5
a costl >' procedure.
The soil under the dam should be prac-
tically free of coarse vegetative matter Slope gauge. To maintain the slopes
before you start building. you want on both wet and dry faces of
Next, disk the entire damsite. Mix the the dam you can use a gauge similar to

soil enough so that there be no layer will the one shown in the illustration (page
of trash or vegetation that will seep water 10 )- Use a 3-for-l gauge on the wet
when the dam is filled. This loose soil si(k; a 2-for-l gauge on the dry side,

will also make a good bond with the fill Reseeding your cuts. If you use soil
material placed over it when building from a hillside above the dam for your
the dam. fill, you will probably leave a bare area

[3]


Trench under proposed crest is about the

Gravel pockets
width of a dozer blade and deep enough
to take out pockets of gravel.

that will erode badly during winter rains. is necessary to start a siphon flowing.
Best protection against this is to push Priming consists of removing the air
the top, shallow layer of soil and debris with a common suction pump or with a
to one side, then push it back over the suction pump operated off of and by your
cut after the dam does not
is built. If this auto engine.
provide sufficient cover, haul in straw or Then, of course, water can always be
manure. A little seed and fertilizer will pumped directly from the reservoir to
then start growth in the scraped bare area any place that it is needed, but this may
and avoid erosion. be expensive.
Assuming that an outlet pipe will be
The outlet pipe
wanted, here are some pointers on in-
An outlet pipe can be used for draining stallation.
water from your reservoir for irrigation, The pipe should be large enough to de-
watering stock, making repairs on the liver all thewater you will need, what-
dam, locating leaks in the reservoir, dis- ever your intended use. The minimum
posing of floating debris, getting rid of pipe size
even for a watering trough
undesirable fish or vegetative matter. should be 1^2 inches in diameter. Any-
A siphon over the dam can be used as thing smaller would be too difficult to
an alternate to an outlet pipe but priming clean if it got plugged.

Trench under proposed crest of dam ex-

tends into can/on sides far enough to
remove pockets of grovel lodged there.

[9]
 Level wired in place

Two feet high 6 feet horizontal gives a 3-1 gauge; 3 feet high 6 feet horizontal gives a 2-1
gauge.

For irrigation, a 6-inch pipe might be reservoir the pipe might be almost on
required. In any case, galvanized water- the bottom; in a deep reservoir it might

pipe is the most commonly used. be 5 or 6 feet above the bottom. The most
The intake end of the pipe should be favorable condition for laying the outlet
high enough above the upstream toe of pipe is in a trench dug in the fill material
the dam so that subsequent settling of used for the dam as described below.
silt and debris will not clog it, but low When to install. Build the dam 2
enough so that usable irrigation water feet above the point you have selected for
is not left in the reservoir. In a shallow the position of the outlet pipe, then dig a

The hillside in the background would have been benefited by seeding. This reservoir is already
starting to silt up notethe fan forming at the far end of the dam.
 Two ways of operating the valve on an outlet pipe.

trench about 2 feet deep in the partly pipe and collars should be tamped thor-
constructed dam. Lay the pipe in the oughly.
trench. The outlet gate should be installed on
Concrete collars be poured
should the upper, or reservoir end of the pipe
around the outlet pipe in the upstream so that in case of pipe failure the water
two thirds of its length. These collars can be shut while repairs are made.
off
should be at least 8 inches thick, extend If the gate ison the downstream end, the
out from the pipe 18 inches, and be not pipe will be under pressure at all times,
more than 15 feet apart. After construct- making repairs for leaks difficult.
ing the collars, the backfill around both A cast iron slide gate of the type com-

The bank of this reservoir was seeded, but note the better growth of covercrop where fertilizer
was applied (as pointed out by the man in the background).


*0h>

This dam uses a siphon instead of an outlet pipe which is proving very satisfactory for the owner.
Power from the automobile engine is used to pump air out of the pipe and start the water flowing,
but any small, gasoline-driven engine can be used to perform the same function.

monly used in concrete irrigation pipe a satisfactory screen can be built by mak-
systems is satisfactory. The slide gate ing a crate shaped as a cube with about
should be fastened securely to the outlet 3-foot edges and covering five sides with
pipe by means of an ample block of con- wire netting with openings of 1-inch or
crete. It may be set in a vertical position, you think the screen may become
less. If

in which a catwalk will be needed for plugged before the end of the season you
operation, or in a sloping position so that may want to provide some means of rais-
itcan be operated from the crest of the ing it to the surface for cleaning and
dam. (See diagram.) restoring it to its former position.
A regular valve that screws onto the
Crown the dam both ways
pipe is also satisfactory, but such valves
are usually quite expensive. The pipe next The crest of the dam should be graded

to the valve should be anchored in a block lengthwise so that the center is at least

of concrete for stability.

6 inches higher than the ends. This will
serve the double purpose of keeping rain-
A siphon may be used in place of an
water from running from the ends toward
outlet pipe. Siphons are usually made of
the center, then down the faces where it
sheet metal pipe, coated with asphalt
will cause erosion. It will also be helpful
considerably cheaper than regular water
in case water overtops the dam and causes
pipe. However, when using a siphon,
some method of priming must be devised
washouts the washouts will occur at

either end, where they are relatively easy

to remove the air to start the water flow-
to repair. A hole in the middle of the
ing.
dam requires a big repair job.
There is usually quite a lot of debris, Crown the top of the dam sideways as
scum, moss, etc., in a reservoir. If the a road so that it will shed water instead
upper end of the outlet pipe is not pro- of gullying the road tracks.
tected against this material by a screen When a dam has been filled with water
it is apt to become stopped up. It is usu- and has gone through one winter it will
ally a good idea to have a rather large usually settle just how much is difficult

screen so that it will catch a lot of trash to predict. It may therefore be desirable
before it has to be cleaned. In general to add more soil and regrade the crest of

[12]
 .-}
.

The crest of this dam has been crowned both ways so that it will shed water. The road across the
dam dips through the spillway on the far side.

the dam after it has been through one Final Check for leaks
winter.
After the dam is completed make a final

Protective covering check of the reservoir site for potential

The entire downstream face, the top, leaks in an area at least 100 feet wide,

and the upstream face above the water- extending upstream from the dam.
line should be protected against erosion Cover all rock outcrops and areas of
by a vegetative cover. This will be espe- sandy or gravelly soil with surface soil.
Fill all holes left when trees or brush were
cially important during the first winter.
Annual ryegrass will do the job. Fer- removed.
tilizewell and use a mulch as described It is difficult to prescribe definitely how
for cuts above the reservoir for rapid much of this work will be needed or how
growth. it will be done, but the idea is to seal all
Avoid grain cereal crops as they will sources of possible leaks. The importance
attractsquirrels and gophers that will of this operation cannot be over-empha-
burrow into the dam. sized a leaky dam is a real headache.

The spillway can be very important

The location of the spillway was dis- Size. The depth of the spillway is

cussed on page be deter-

6. Its size will measured as the difference in elevation
mined by the volume of water it must between the highest point in the bottom
accommodate, which in turn is dependent of the spillway to the lowest point on the
on the number of acres in the drainage crest of the dam. A minimum spillway
area above the dam. should be 3 feet deep and 10 feet wide.

[13]
 .
The table below gives the desirable ments of outlet dimensions (see below
sizes for spillways for different drainage Barriers)
areas. Another consideration is that a higher
Shape. It is usually more economical barrier can be built in a deep spillway
to make your spillway shallow and wide than in a shallow spillway, thus permit-
rather than deep and narrow because ting more water storage. Hence this whole
the latter type of spillway will probably question of dam height, spillway size, and
necessitate a higher (bigger) dam. water storage can involve quite a lot of
For
example your drainage area figuring to get the most economical setup.
takes in 600 acres; from the table con- When doing this figuring be sure to take
sider 2 of the 6 alternatives. You find into account the limitations on barriers
that your spillway can be 5 feet deep and in the spillway as discussed below.
20 feet wide, or it can be 8 feet deep and Slope of spillway bottom. The
only 10 feet wide. spillway bottom downstream from the
If you can use the 5 x 20 foot spillway crest should have a slope of at least 6
you can make your dam 3 feet lower than inches per 100 feet so that the water can
would be the case with the 8 x 10 foot get away rapidly.
spillway. The sketch on page 15 gives an Where necessary, line the bottoms of
idea of the savings you can effect in the spillways with concrete or other material
movement of fill. that will prevent erosion.
Remember also if you intend to use Occasionally a spillway is built
a barrier in your spillway to store water through earth, on a relatively flat grade
from the late spring runoff, the spillway similar to an irrigation ditch. If needed
will have to be of such a size that it will this type of spillway can be protected
accommodate any permanent structures from erosion by vegetation.
supporting the removable part of the bar-
In any event the water in a spillway
rier and still fulfill minimum require- located at one end of the dam must be

Specifications for Spillways

Drainage
Depth of spillway in feet
area
in acres 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Width of spillway in feet

0- 129 10
129- 190 22 13 10
191- 320 34 20 11 10
321- 480 47 27 16 12 10
481- 640 58 34 20 15 11 10
641- 800 40 25 19 13 11 10
801- 960 44 27 20 15 12 10
961-1280 55 35 26 19 15 12

1281-1600 42 31 23 19 15

1601-1920 48 35 26 21 17

1921-2240 55 40 30 24 19

2241-2560 60 42 32 26 21

These figures taken from ASCS-SCS specifications for construction of earth dams, revised November 1, 1954.

[14]
 Crest of dam having deep, narrow spillway
Crest of dam having wide, shallow spillway

Additional fill needed about 4

cubic yards per foot of dam length

[15]
delivered to the stream below the dam so Remember also that barriers in the
that it will not erode the dam itself. spillway have . . .

Barriers in the spillway

Advantages
you can store addi-
tionalwater from late spring runoff to
Spillway sizes as shown in the table be used in irrigating or making stock-
on page 15 are calculated to leave a free- watering ponds last longer into the sum-
board of about 1.5 feet for any flood that mer and fall.
might occur once in 25 years. Thus dams And disadvantages the dam must
built to the specifications given in this be watched more closely. Barriers must
circular are designed to hold water to be removed immediately if late spring
within 1.5 feet of their crest at least for rains cause excessive runoff. They must
short periods. always be removed before fall rains start.
would therefore be practical to store
It Piers in the spillway, to support flash-
water from late spring runoffs in these boards, may cause floating debris to clog
dams to a height somewhat lower per- the spillway.
haps 2 or 2.5 feet from the crest by If, good
after considering all of the
means of barriers in the spillways. and bad you decide you want
features,
But before you build barriers, barriers, here are some construction tips:
consider these facts and possibilities: Earth-filled sacks make practical and
The Department of Water Resources inexpensive barriers.
defines the height of a dam as the dif- Piered drop structures, similar to
ference in elevation between the down- those used in irrigation canals can also
stream toe and the crest of any barriers be built in the spillway. While it is be-
in the spillway. Hence it would be illegal yond the scope of this circular to give
to place barriers in the spillway that detailed specifications for such struc-
would violate the height regulation of a tures, a few generalities may be useful
dam that is exempt from state supervision (see photo, page 17).
and inspection. Space all piers an equal distance apart
On dams built with ACP assistance, so that drop boards will all be the same
that agency does not allow any structure length and can be used interchangeably.
in the spillway that reduces the area of They should not be more than 6 feet long.
the spillway below the minimum require- Drop boards can be of 2" x 6" lumber,
ments. but 3" x 6" are better because they will

This dam was not properly crowned lengthwise and the flashboards were not removed in time.
That break (on the left) will be expensive to repair.
Here earth-filled sacks are used in the spillway to store additional water from late spring runoffs.
Such barriers are inexpensive and easy to remove.

give less distortion when the water rises It is usually desirable to pour a slab of
behind them. concrete for the water to fall on, in order
The channels into which the ends of to prevent erosion.
the boards fit are best made of channel When drop boards are put in place
iron slots in the concrete piers are there may be considerable leakage
usable but will probably result in more around them. This leakage can be stopped
leakage. by putting a blanket of trashy soil or
The face of the barrier should slope manure on the upstream side of the
from 30 to 45 degrees downstream. boards.

A good spillway cut down to solid rock. Some Flashboards supported by concrete piers can
of the softer part of the rock has been washed be removed easily if late spring rains cause
away, but has reached stability. excessive runoff from the watershed.
Maintenance will pay off in good service
Keep the spillway clear of floating of coarse gravel on the threatened part
Even though you have thoroughly
debris. of the dam.
cleared off the reservoir site, a certain Trees and brush should not be allowed
amount of material may find its way into to grow on the dam
they have large
the spillway from time to time and cause roots and if they should die, the root
clogging, if not removed promptly. channels might cause leaks.
A log boom floating about 50 feet from Guard against rodents building
the spillway will keep most floating ma- burrows in the dam. If rodents get
terialaway. your local University of Cali-
started, see

A wire mesh fence such as that used fornia Farm Advisor for information on
for hogs
will also serve to intercept logs rodent control by poisoned baits, traps,
and brush but would have to be rather etc.

high. Seeps through the dam. In some in-

Pine cones and small pieces of wood stances the water, even in a well-designed
that will clear the spillway need not be dam, may cause seepage on the down-
intercepted, but all material that is caught stream face of the dam. Again, if water
by boom or fence should be removed in is held too high in the dam, it may cause

the fall before the rains start. Such ma- similar seepage. In either case this con-
terial should be burned or hauled out of dition may cause the downstream toe of
the reservoir. the dam to slough off. The reason for this
Wave action may cause problems on is that a large part of the soil in the dam
dams where the surface of the
in areas becomes saturated the
upper limit of
reservoir is exposed to high winds. A log the zone of saturation extending from the
boom floating close to the dam is usually waterline of the reservoir toward the
effective in preventing wave damage. downstream toe.
Sometimes it is necessary to put a blanket When the above condition is noted the

This dam shows the results of little or no maintenance. Large trees have been allowed to grow
on the dam. If these trees should die or blow over the dam might be seriously weakened, due to
rotting roots or large holes.

water level in the reservoir should be than anticipated. When such conditions
lowered immediately to a point where the arise it may be necessary to line part of

saturated area on the downstream face the channel with concrete, put in a drop
disappears. Then you can build a down- structure or use other means to prevent

stream addition to the dam, bringing the heading back.

additional fill to a point a few feet above
For the watershed
the top of the seep area.
Watch those barriers. If you have Check the watershed periodically for
erosion of soil that will eventually wash
barriers in the spillway it is extremely
important for the safety of the dam down into, and fill your reservoir. Take
whatever steps may be needed to check
that they be removed when the dam is
erosion. This is very important if you are
full and runoff from a late spring rain
to get good service from your reservoir.
occurs. This has to be done in a matter
of minutes not hours so it is abso- For the reservoir
lutely essential that someone be on the
If you have followed the suggestions
job when such unusual conditions arise.
and specifications in this circular for
Also be sure that barriers are removed
selecting and clearing the site for your
before the rains begin in the fall.
reservoir it is unlikely that severe leaks
will develop. However, leaks in reservoirs
For the spillway
may develop in spite of all the precau-
Keep the spillway from becoming tionary measures you have taken.
clogged by removing debris promptly. Leaks are usually caused by previ-
Each fall burn or remove all material ously undetected cracks in underlying
collectedby a log boom or wire fence. rocks, or by channels of pervious mate-
Sometimes water flowing in a spillway rial. They are also usually very difficult
may cause a gully that heads back toward to locate.
the crest of the spillway. This is usually Most leaks originate in the reservoir
due to the fact that the underlying rock, bottom, relatively close to the upstream
such as decomposed granite, was softer face of the dam.

Badly tended dam. Spillway on opposite side was not lined and has eroded to the point where
the entire dam is threatened. To repair it would be very expensive.

* -
 Here are some suggestions for locating treatment of the reservoir for possible
and repairing leaks. leaks before it is filled the first time.
Watch for stoppage of leaks as the
Bank, shoreline and
water in the reservoir is lowered in steps.
water-loving weeds
If the leak stops as the water recedes over

a definite area, it is fairly certain that About a dozen plants, including willows
the leak occurred in that area. Stakes and cottonwoods, may prove to be pests.
around the water's edge will help keep Under some conditions it may be prac-
track of recession if the natural shore tical to control this vegetation by hand

line is not apparent. or by cultivation.

When the area is located, look for out- Control measures for cattails, tules,

croppings of rocks, gravel, or sandy soil floating and submerged weeds, and algae
any or all of these may be the source are described in the booklet mentioned
of the leak. in the box on this page.

Cover leak-producing areas with a Controlling marginal vegetation by

blanket of clay, 3 or 4 inches thick. If sprays is difficult because any given prod-
the leak is found to occur below the low- uct may not be uniformly effective in
water stage of the reservoir a similar different areas the variations possibly
blanket of clay will have to be spread being due to varying chemical constitu-
over the entire bottom close to the dam. ents of the water.

Clay for this work can be found on

most farms. The clay should be worked
up to very small clods the finer the No recommendations are given here

better before it is applied to the reser-

for specific sprays or chemicals to con-
trol weeds because new products are
voir bottom. being developed continually. Your Uni-
Since a 4-inch layer of clay on one versity of California Farm Advisor office
acre would weigh about 650 tons, it is can provide you with weed control in-

easy to see how important it is to locate formation in the form of a booklet that
small areas for treatment. This also adds is revised each year.

importance to the final inspection and

Management of the reservoir

Trout ponds In any case, fishing is allowed only
during trout season.
These can be established in reservoirs
where the temperature of the water does
not rise above 70 F for any length of
Warm water ponds
time. If the owner permits the public to Theoretically, the most productive
fish in his trout pond, the Fish and Game planting of warm-water fish is a mixture
Department will provide fish for stock- of bass and bluegills botli species re-
ing the pond (trout will not spawn in produce rapidly and both make good eat-
reservoirs so have to be replaced con- ing. One of main sources of bass
the
tinually) . food is young bluegills; carp and catfish
If the owner of a trout pond does not tend to eliminate other species and take
open it to public fishing, the state will over the reservoir.
not provide fish but will furnish a list After an initial stocking, allow warm-
of trout dealers and a transportation per- water fish to spawn once before doing
mit at no charge. any fishing spawning will be evidenced

[20 ]
 a

Water for sprinkler irrigation of otherwise poor pastureland can often be taken from a dam but
pumping is usually required.

by the presence of small fish. Most reser- which feed on the bot-
of carp or catfish
voirs are underfished when large num- tom and up the mud. This can only
stir

bers of fish are present they do not attain be avoided by eliminating the carp or
the size they would if fewer were left in catfish.
the pond. If the muddy condition is not due to
Food for fish is quite often produced it can
carp or catfish, but winter runoff,
in abundance by plankton-like material be alleviated by adding finely ground,
in the reservoir. It is evidenced by agricultural gypsum to the water
brownish coloring in the water. rather expensive process. The gypsum
While opinions differ on whether reser- costs about $15 per ton and it may take
voirs need fertilizer to help produce fish as muchas half a ton per acre-foot of
food, local experience indicates that it is water to clear up muddiness. However,
seldom necessary. It should be avoided, much smaller amounts may do the job
if possible, because addition of fertilizer so it is suggested that the gypsum be
to the reservoir will encourage undesir- applied at the rate of about 200 pounds
able marginal growth which will have per acre-foot, allowing a few days to ob-
to be destroyed. serve results before adding more.
Muddy water in the reservoir may Spread the gypsum uniformly over the
be due to the presence of a large number surface by shoveling from a boat.

Owners of this lake

not only enjoy fish-

ing but have set up

a picnic area on a
pleasant part of the
shore.

%
 : - "

2fe

Here a small pump takes water out of a dam through the spillway. This saves lifting the water
over the crest of the dam and is practical in some instances.

Some do's and don'ts in dam construction

Here are random photos of farm dams cover good points of dam construction
all

in two California counties some good, it is hoped that these

in a booklet this size
some with problems. Since it is obviously photos will bring to mind a few ideas
impossible to warn against all hazards or that may prove valuable.

This pond occupies land formerly made useless by a winding creekbed. The photo was taken
from end of dam, looking upstream.

[22]
Here the dam itself held but the soil on the bottom of the pond was too porous and the water all

seeped out. Small pool in the background is all that is left of a good-sized pond.

Front and back views of the concrete-lined spillway for the dam pictured at the left. Spillway
is in the center of the dam and empties into the old creekbed.

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