Waste water disposal from koi pond

[Orangele]

I have a 2200 gallon koi pond that has been up for about 5 yrs. The problem that I am trying to address is that every time I do filter cleanings, I do about a 200 gallon water change and the pond empties onto my back yard which is not large, and I am planning to do so landscaping in the area where the pond water empties, and I am trying to figure out how to dispose of the water from the pond. I think that the fish wastes will discolor any concrete stones/slabs that may be placed if I simply continue the current practice of letting the water flow onto the back yard. Currently there is essentially dirt with some small stones covering it where the pond water empties, and after about 30-45min the pond water does absorb into the soil. It is my understanding that it is illegal to empty pond water into the city drainwater system, but can I hook the pond to empty into my house drainage system which then goes to be processed?. I have also thought about installing a small septic tank with a small underground leach field, but this would likely be thousands of dollars to install. Wondering if others have any other suggestions or solutions.

 

[mrsclem]

Could you get a section of the black plastic drain pipe to direct the water to a good area?https://www.lowes.com/pd/FLEX-Drain-4-in-x-25-ft-Corrugated-Drain-with-Filter-Sock-Pipe/1239339

 

[Mmathis]

What @mrsclem said. In fact, I’m going outside in a little while to drain my Skippy. I have PVC pipe connections that I hook up and use to direct the water. Drainage in our back yard isn’t good, so I like to direct the flow off to the side of the house, down the driveway area.

 

[Lisak1]

Do you have storm drains? That's where ours goes when we need to pump down the pond for any reason. Although maybe that's what you mean is illegal - why though I can't imagine.

Your pond water isn't going to stain anything, but I can see why you wouldn't want to be flooding your yard every time. You could use the water to water your landscape - pond water is excellent for plants. I use a small sump pump and attach a garden hose and pump water to my hanging and potted plants. The plants get good water full of nutrients and the pond gets fresh water. Or you could build a french drain - basically a gravel filled pit that allows the water to seep into the ground.

Just some ideas!

 

[Tula]

Waste water from a koi filter is pretty icky, it's not the same as a water change. I agree with others about redirecting it to another location. I hook up my waste line to a curved hose and run into a bed of hydrangeas.

 

[Mmathis]

Oh, I didn’t catch the part about it’s being illegal! That does change things!

 

[poconojoe]

I'm no expert, but this is what I would do...Make an economical (nice way to say cheap) dry well. Dig a big hole or trench as deep and large as you can and fill it 3/4 full of gravel. Stick a piece of PVC pipe onto the gravel and cover with more gravel. Have the other end sticking out somewhere out of the way and possibly close to your pond. Then cover it all with a good layer of top soil so you can grow your grass on top of it. The end near your pond can have a removable cap. I would use 3" or 4" PVC to keep up with the volume. Maybe drill 3/8" holes all around the part of the pipe that is in the gravel for more dispersal.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

I was thinking you could store it in barrels and reuse it to water your plants, but at 200 gallons a water change that is a lot of barrels....So, maybe not!?

 

[Orangele]

I'm no expert, but this is what I would do...Make an economical (nice way to say cheap) dry well. Dig a big hole or trench as deep and large as you can and fill it 3/4 full of gravel. Stick a piece of PVC pipe onto the gravel and cover with more gravel. Have the other end sticking out somewhere out of the way and possibly close to your pond. Then cover it all with a good layer of top soil so you can grow your grass on top of it. The end near your pond can have a removable cap. I would use 3" or 4" PVC to keep up with the volume. Maybe drill 3/8" holes all around the part of the pipe that is in the gravel for more dispersal.

Yes I think this is the approach I will take. Quite frankly I could not even find a plumber or landscaper to help me, so one thing I can do on my own is dig a big ditch. I think will just dig maybe an 18" deep trench in entire area in front of pond in current area with dirt , and as suggested filling with rocks (I live right next to the Bureau of Land Management area where people have apparently dumped large heaps of gravel and rocks illegally) and using it to fill the ditch and having 2" PVC pipes from the pond drains to the ditch with some wash-out ports along the way. I think this ditch should be large enough to accommodate any pond washes.

 

[poconojoe]

Sounds like you have a good handle on the project. The best part is that it will not cost much to get it done. Just be careful when collecting that illegally dumped gravel. We wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea and think you were dumping them instead of collecting them. Is there someone you could speak with in order to get permission or at least acknowledge that you were not dumping?

 

[Orangele]

Sounds like you have a good handle on the project. The best part is that it will not cost much to get it done. Just be careful when collecting that illegally dumped gravel. We wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea and think you were dumping them instead of collecting them. Is there someone you could speak with in order to get permission or at least acknowledge that you were not dumping?

There are multiple huge big dump truck sized piles of rocks/gravel in the Bureau of land management area. These piles are about 10ft tall and about 15 feet in diameter. There are also multiple huge old tractor tires (like the ones used in the strongman competitions) dumped there, and long stretches of PVC pipe on the surface of the land. Quite frankly I cannot even figure how this stuff ended up there since a vehicle could not even gain access to dump this stuff because the terrain is pretty rugged. How in the world did a 200ft length of PVC get there? Anyway I plan to just haul off a wheel barrow full at a time; not too concerned about being blamed for being the one responsible for dumping since it would take a LONG time to do this with a wheel barrow.

 

[mrsclem]

Guessing the reason for it being illegal is the chance of pond chemicals getting into the water system not to mention fish eggs!

 

[poconojoe]

There are multiple huge big dump truck sized piles of rocks/gravel in the Bureau of land management area. These piles are about 10ft tall and about 15 feet in diameter. There are also multiple huge old tractor tires (like the ones used in the strongman competitions) dumped there, and long stretches of PVC pipe on the surface of the land. Quite frankly I cannot even figure how this stuff ended up there since a vehicle could not even gain access to dump this stuff because the terrain is pretty rugged. How in the world did a 200ft length of PVC get there? Anyway I plan to just haul off a wheel barrow full at a time; not too concerned about being blamed for being the one responsible for dumping since it would take a LONG time to do this with a wheel barrow.

Oh, a wheel barrow, I guess not to worry. I thought you were using a truck.