Pond Spillway Pipe Question

[ga.prime]

I put a screen over the end of the spillway pipe so fish wouldn't swim out the pipe. The problem is the screen quickly gets blocked/stopped up by leaves and other trash and the flow of water through the pipe is slowed to a trickle. I wonder how many fish would actually go through the pipe if the screen wasn't there. In the pic below I've cleaned the leaves and trash away from the pipe.

 

[Jogeephus]

I don't know how many you'd lose but I wouldn't think it would significant compared to the risk of a dam breech. To keep the trash out and possibly hold fish in you might extend the pipe out then elbow it so the opening is below the water line then you could screen it. This should stop the floating things like leaves but if you got that green algae crud its of little use.

 

[dun]

Unless it's at high flood you shouldn;t lose many. When we get flooding I go down below the spillways and pick up fish that have washed out then put them in different ponds.

 

[ga.prime]

Thanks for the ideas, dun and Jo. I agree a few fish going through the pipe would be better than water going over the emergency spillway of the dam. I'd take the screen off if I thought their was a chance the water level was going that high. Flood danger is now probably over until next spring or we get hurricane rains in the fall.

 

[dun]

The only fish we ever had go over the spillway were 2-3 inch bluegill.

 

[Jogeephus]

The only fish we ever had go over the spillway were 2-3 inch bluegill.

That would be a keeper for me.

 

[alisonb]

You could perhaps increase screening surface (box - 2ftx1ft) to fit on end of pipe...

 

[ga.prime]

That's a good idea, alison. I thought about coming out in front of the pipe a couple of feet and putting two t-posts down about 4 ft apart and screening between the t-posts. I may do that before next high water season.