Never thought about silt density until I ran the numbers on our impoundment

Last Tuesday I was doing my normal morning checks before startup and got to thinking about how much material we actually pull out of this pond in a season. So I grabbed the logbook and did some rough math with the pump hours and the flow meter readings. Turns out we moved close to 4,200 cubic yards of silt and sand in just the last 8 months, which is way more than I guessed. I always figured the pond stayed about the same size because the water level looks steady, but the deep spots near the intake have clearly been filling in. That got me curious about how other guys track their volume, do you rely on the depth sounder every few weeks or just wait until the suction starts cavitating? The old timer I work with says he can feel it in the vibration, but I want a more solid number before I bother the boss about a cleanup cycle.

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1 Comment

gray_roberts1mo ago

Why bother measuring when the pump will tell you when it's time?