Help with removing excess water from dug hole


  #1  
Old 07-30-18, 01:03 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Help with removing excess water from dug hole

OK, so I am putting in a disappearing water fountain in my front yard flower bed. I made the mistake of using a 50 gallon preformed pond insert which failed and dumped most of the water into the 18" deep hole I dug for the insert. My new goal is to remove the water that has saturated the ground and back fill with dry soil, then re-dig a shallower but much wider square hole to lay in my new basin.

My problem is that we have been inundated with daily showers which fill the hole back up with water. I did place a tarp over the area, but for some reason it managed to find it's way back in. I finally got the water to stop flooding back in and removed most of the water that was in the hole, but being that the ground was saturated previously, water is seeping out of the ground and into the hole. I have kept it uncovered whenever the sun was out, but that does not last very long.

Short of waiting until the dirt and ground finally dry up (which could take weeks), I read that using calcium oxide in the hole could speed up the process. The hole is now around 24" in diameter and roughly 24" deep. I understand the dangers of calcium oxide and the precautions necessary in using it. Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with standing ground water. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
  #2  
Old 07-30-18, 01:49 PM
pugsl's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 8,161
Received 77 Upvotes on 70 Posts
Wet dry vacuum would do it.
 
  #3  
Old 07-30-18, 04:17 PM
P
Group Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 27,657
Received 2,153 Upvotes on 1,928 Posts
If you are getting a lot of rain and the ground is saturated there aren't any easy fixes. You can bail or pump out the hole to hopefully bring the water table down in that area and allow the soil to dry faster. If you want to get working on the new pond sooner you can back fill the hole with crushed stone. It will not be affected by water like soil is.
 
  #4  
Old 07-30-18, 06:29 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Pilot Dane
If you are getting a lot of rain and the ground is saturated there aren't any easy fixes. You can bail or pump out the hole to hopefully bring the water table down in that area and allow the soil to dry faster. If you want to get working on the new pond sooner you can back fill the hole with crushed stone. It will not be affected by water like soil is.
So, I should forget the quicklime then? That does sound like a better plan. Thanks!
 
  #5  
Old 07-31-18, 05:09 AM
P
Group Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 27,657
Received 2,153 Upvotes on 1,928 Posts
If you want to play with the lime then go ahead. It will turn solid but you'll be left with a hard lump. Crushed stone will have the load bearing capacity to support your new pond while still being easily dug or shoveled out as needed. But quicklime can be fun to play with if you've never done it before especially if you have kids who like to see it magically steam. So, also be careful as it can get very hot when it reacts with water.
 
  #6  
Old 07-31-18, 01:19 PM
Y
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Oregon
Posts: 881
Received 24 Upvotes on 23 Posts
We use a Beckson 136PF-6 hand pump......
 
  #7  
Old 07-31-18, 01:28 PM
Marq1's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: USA MI
Posts: 9,745
Received 1,210 Upvotes on 1,098 Posts
Your faced with a muddy mess no matter what you do.

Mix a picture of Margaret's and just toast the rain (wish we had some here) and just give it some some to dry out!
 
  #8  
Old 08-14-18, 08:16 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 8
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
After all the rain (about three weeks of daily rain) the sun came out for about two to three days and I finally got the hole dried up enough to put a layer of gravel down. I then filled and tamped every three to four inches with dirt/soil. I ended up filling in the hole completely. When I was satisfied that the ground was compacted enough, I then re-dug my hole for my Disappearing water fountain basin.
 
Attached Images    
  #9  
Old 08-14-18, 08:27 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,939
Received 3,951 Upvotes on 3,544 Posts
Awesome..... looks good.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: