Vinlands Icelandics: Moving Dirt - Sunday, August 11, 2019

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Moving Dirt - Sunday, August 11, 2019

There's a beach-well here at San Salvatore that delivers water from the well on the beach deep underground through a buried pipeline to Sans Souci, the pole barn, where overnight guests stay when they come for a visit. Unfortunately the beach-well has been flooded by the rising waters of Lake Huron. We've all been told that the levels of the Great Lake fluctuate on a regular, but as yet not completely understood, cycle. Maybe it's a seven year cycle? Who knows? Related to sunspots? Related to weather patterns? Clicking on photos will enlarge them.

When I first visited here the lake level was very low; I had about 100 yards of stone, gravel, boulders and even some beach sand before we reached water. Now the water level has reached the bluff. I have no beach at all. That means that my beach-well no longer pumps water to Sans Souci; instead it pumps sand and muddy water to the pole barn.

When I built my home, we raised the soil level a few feet so that it was no longer lower than the surrounding yard. We were concerned about soil water levels flooding the crawl space or half-basement of the house especially after the winter thaws. In order to avoid hitting that pipe before the house was built we located the underground pipe that carries water to Sans Souci; it was about five or six feet below the then soil surface. We knew it would be safe to build a crawl space over the top of the pipe and also a half-basement which is located away from where the pipe ran. Compare the current soil level with Anthony in the hole.

The house has city water. The pole barn had beach-well water. Guests used beach-well water for showers, the toilet, and the kitchen sink. Drinking water was carried over to the pole barn. Most of my guests did not drink much water. Because the pipe had been spoiled by muddy water we had to try and connect the pole barn's water supply to the city water in the house. We finished that undertaking (literally undertaking) this past week. Sans Souci and San Salvatore are now linked. The water is potable.

To get to the beach-well pipe Mike and Anthony from Lakeshore Improvements had to dig down, way down, through several feet of fill dirt and then several more feet below the original soil level under which the pipe ran. The pipe had to be cut when found and then the concrete floor and wall of the crawl space had to be drilled through to insert a new connecting pipe to connect the city water in the house with the old beach-well pipe that ran under the house towards the pole barn.

We had to avoid the geothermal pipes which were located on the west side of the house which is why we dug the hole on the east (lake) side of the house. I enjoyed the whole process. Honest.

I'm expecting a guest this week and Mark will be the first person to see if the process actually works.

Some recent photos: -

Lythrum

A few years ago there was a concerted effort to remove Lythrum from the US because it was an "alien" and out competed other native plants. Then, logically, in my opinion, there should be an effort to completely eradicate dandelions. And Phragmites. And Norway maples. And Norwegian Spruces. And Chinese elms. And thousands of other non-native plants. And animals including non-native insects. I like Lythrum.

A Field of Queen Anne's Lace - Wild Carrots