Water pickup vs anchoring

[speedbump]

Searched and didn't an find an answer, maybe someone can answer for me.
Just retired and was able to get a place on the water, it's tiny but all I can afford.
I know many want to fish close to shore or dock and most are great (most) but I just had someone anchor over our home water pickup. Asked nicely and they were helpful but it has lead to the question of responsibility for damage.
It would be catastrophic to fix it quickly.
What can be done to prevent issues?
Are they responsible?
Seems many get in your face if you speak to them about anything to do with fishing.
I am trying to keep the peace but some are looking for a fight.

[ITD]

Originally Posted by speedbump

Searched and didn't an find an answer, maybe someone can answer for me.
Just retired and was able to get a place on the water, it's tiny but all I can afford.
I know many want to fish close to shore or dock and most are great (most) but I just had someone anchor over our home water pickup. Asked nicely and they were helpful but it has lead to the question of responsibility for damage.
It would be catastrophic to fix it quickly.
What can be done to prevent issues?
Are they responsible?
Seems many get in your face if you speak to them about anything to do with fishing.
I am trying to keep the peace but some are looking for a fight.

I've had quite a few people anchor in front of my home and many people fishing in close. I've never had an issue, except for a few hook snags in my canvas. Almost all have been very friendly. I think for the most part you reap what you sow. Although there are some bad apples out there.

If you are worried about your pick up, maybe a marker would help keep people away.

[garysanfran]

Do you think it's an isolated incident? Or do you predict it's in a place where there'll be frequent occurrences?

[tis]

Are you asking about your water pipe going into the lake and wondering if they snag it who is responsible?

[Slickcraft]

I think the ITD had a good suggestion. An old bleach bottle, rope and anchor to mark the spot. Assume that they are not malicious.

Alan

[speedbump]

I believe this is unusual but may happen again.
We are fairly close to the traffic flow channel.
Most just drift, anchoring this close is not common.
The guys were friendly and responded positively.
Is it ok (legal) to mark the spot, such as with a bottle?
The question is more about responsibility for their anchor breaking the water pickup.

[fatlazyless]

An empty re-used Clorox bottle or marker buoy is also commonly used to indicate an unseen shallow rock hazard for boaters which would not communicate to the boater it to be a 'no anchor' zone. Fisherman typically look for structure underwater as a good place to cast a fishing line, as well, so a marker buoy without a message could actually attract fishermen.

To make a boater responsible for any anchor damage would require a sign that says something like "No anchor zone-utility line below!" ..... otherwise a boater will not be aware what's down there.

[The Real BigGuy]

How far off shore is the water pick up?


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[speedbump]

It's about 30 feet from shore, about 5' more than the dock and x about 20 ' to the side.
Not where you would expect some to anchor.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by speedbump

I believe this is unusual but may happen again.
We are fairly close to the traffic flow channel.
Most just drift, anchoring this close is not common.
The guys were friendly and responded positively.
Is it ok (legal) to mark the spot, such as with a bottle?
The question is more about responsibility for their anchor breaking the water pickup.

You would need to prove that it was actually a certain individual in small claims court... unless they agreed and offered to pay.

Is the pick up just poly pipe with a foot valve on the end?

[speedbump]

Yes, a poly pipe with a valve in a small cradle.
I guess the best bet is to hope nothing happens and deal with it if things go wrong.
Thank everyone who has offered advice, esp the messages.
Fingers Crossed!

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by speedbump

Yes, a poly pipe with a valve in a small cradle.

I guess the best bet is to hope nothing happens and deal with it if things go wrong.

Thank everyone who has offered advice, esp the messages.

Fingers Crossed!

I think identifying its location makes perfect sense both to avoid damage and help you find it quickly if necessary. Boaters naturally steer clear of hazards.

I don't think a floating bleach bottle is technically legal, but, if it's that close to your dock and out of a navigation channel, it shouldn't be an issue. I know in the North, there are lots of them.

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[John Mercier]

What is more likely to happen rather than an anchor hitting it in its cradle would be that the spring on the foot valve will fail.
This is will happen even without any disturbance.

We keep them in stock in both a heavy plastic and brass format just because of this.

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I think identifying its location makes perfect sense both to avoid damage and help you find it quickly if necessary. Boaters naturally steer clear of hazards.

I don't think a floating bleach bottle is technically legal, but, if it's that close to your dock and out of a navigation channel, it shouldn't be an issue. I know in the North, there are lots of them.

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Agreed. MP frowns on unauthorized floats but if you are that close to shore & dock and not in a navigation lane you should be ok.


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[Outdoorsman]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

You would need to prove that it was actually a certain individual in small claims court... unless they agreed and offered to pay.

Is the pick up just poly pipe with a foot valve on the end?

Not everyone posting questions on this particular web site is looking for an answer that requires a lawyer or legislation. Could you at least let One or Two of these questions slide?

[Woodsy]

I would mark it with a small buoy... bleach bottle works, Just be sure to bring the bottle in or sink it before the ice comes in. I would also keep some spare parts just in case... they tend to fail anyway.

Woodsy

[tis]

We also worry about that. We have had several people throw their anchor right on top of it. We have our line marked part way out with buoys but don't go out that far with them because it is a channel. We once did get them marked by MP that they were an illegal mooring. I called and told them they weren't a mooring but marked our water line and they never bothered us again. I would put a buoy over yours if you can and maybe even mark it "water line".

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by Woodsy

I would mark it with a small buoy... bleach bottle works, Just be sure to bring the bottle in or sink it before the ice comes in. I would also keep some spare parts just in case... they tend to fail anyway.

Woodsy

When you sink the buoy in the fall remember that the water level is significantly lower than it will be in the spring (well, maybe not this year). I used to sink mine about 4’ below the surface to make sure it would be below the ice. One year I went to pull it out in the spring and could barely reach it with my fully extended boat hook elbow deep in the cold water!


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[TiltonBB]

Just curious:About how far off the bottom do most people have their water intake?

Mine is about 18 inches off the bottom in about 7 feet of water but it seems to pick up more sand than I thought it would.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Just curious:About how far off the bottom do most people have their water intake?

Mine is about 18 inches off the bottom in about 7 feet of water but it seems to pick up more sand than I thought it would.

Mine is in about 10’ of water, on a stand at a 45 degree angle. I would say the bottom of it is less than 12” off the bottom….

Dan

[ApS]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Just curious:About how far off the bottom do most people have their water intake? Mine is about 18 inches off the bottom in about 7 feet of water but it seems to pick up more sand than I thought it would.

No sand in our intake at 18 inches, but we had no boat traffic in 1956.

After the galvanized pipe rusted through, we went to plastic poly pipe in 7 feet of water.

Around 1980, Winter Harbor got "discovered", and boaters picnicked at anchor directly over the intake. Waterskiers returning from a "run" had to deal with those picnicking visitors. Food discards sank or floated away.

Oversized boats anchored in Johnsons Cove (where a slalom ski course had been sited).
Their wakes eventually made picnicking off Wolfeboro Neck not worth considering!

We kept our fingers crossed and made another change to the intake. In 1991, a friend built a stainless steel "T" bracket that supported two intakes, then buried the 3-foot-tall structure in a wide concrete base. That went out 100 feet from shore in about 11 feet of water depth. Things unwanted in our water were too high or too low in the water column to affect our water quality--which is how we always had remembered it.

While an energetic boat skipper (or anchored with a strong wind) could have moved that intake, it hasn't moved in 18 years.

ETA:
Eighteen years ago, the "nightmare-water-intake" thunderstorm story occurred in front of me--highlighted by an inept Cigarette ocean-racer skipper!

(Pardon the redundancy)...

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...t=intake+water

[The Real BigGuy]

Had a 5 gallon bucket filled with rocks on the bottom in about 18 ft of water. Tied the poly pipe with foot valve to an empty gallon plastic jug that was floated about 10” above the 5 gallon pail. Only thing that ended up in my water was the algae that built up on the foot valve strainer if I didn’t dive down & clean it once or twice a summer.


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[Garcia]

Curious how many leave the water line in all year, and for those who do, any issues with foot valve? Just check it when the water warms up?

[ITD]

As Slickcraft said, an old bleach bottle, a weight and a section of rope. Boats will avoid it like the plague. Then forget about it.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Garcia

Curious how many leave the water line in all year, and for those who do, any issues with foot valve? Just check it when the water warms up?

My waterline and pump have been in the lake for 15 years without a single issue….yet!

Dan

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

My waterline and pump have been in the lake for 15 years without a single issue….yet!

Dan

One of my water lines stays in year round. It is buried until about 50 feet from shore and then comes up about 2 feet above the lake bed for the last 10 feet. I asked the previous owner how they did that and they said it was done back in the days when you could put a backhoe in the lake. Interesting times!

[Descant]

I have a well pump similar to the set up described by Ishoot308 and Slickcraft. Never had a sand problem. (I wonder if more boat traffic in TiltonBB's area makes the water more turbulent raising sand into the intake?) I replaced the pump once, and I replaced the well pump at my mainland homer once in 45 years, so I guess the life expectancy of the pump is about 20-25 years. The poly pipe is threaded through a couple of concrete blocks to keep it close to the bottom. Anchoring in our area is rare. Some fishing. The pipe stays in place year round. I put a 4" poly sleeve around the intake pipe and the power line to protect it from chafing where it just lays on the rocks on the shoreline. Never had ice damage, but I note there are two nearby rocks (300-400 lb?) that the ice stole from my breakwater and moves them a little bit each year. One is now close to high and dry on the shore.

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by Garcia

Curious how many leave the water line in all year, and for those who do, any issues with foot valve? Just check it when the water warms up?

I dove down to clean the brass foot valve strainer once and found the it had basically disintegrated but the valve itself was in good order. I pulled the line up and replaced the valve assembly from a small boat making sure not to get air in the line. At that point the valve was about 15 or so years old. My line was buried from the house to the shore line. One year, late in the fall at low water, I cut the line after it exited the shore and installed quick connect fittings so I could drain the line from the house to the water the cap it to keep critters out. I’d cap the lake side pipe (black poly) and bend it around to my dock & sink it in 8 - 10 ft of water.

I got sick of the whole process & with hauling drinking water and installed a deep well pump in the lake & a UV treatment system with a couple of inline filters. No particulate in what comes out of the tap & no back ache from hauling 5 gl jugs.


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[Tuckntruck]

I fashion a PVC holder pictured and put a cinder block on the pipe side and both sides coming off the T, even if it does get hooked and flipped the foot valve stays out of the sand. The top gets painted black, bottom left white. If I can see it, it needs to be fixed. If you just have a line to a valve, try to terminate near a mooring ball. People don’t tend to anchor or fish too close to them. They’re noisy under water and not provide habitat.

[The Real BigGuy]

A piece of modern art!


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[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by Tuckntruck

I fashion a PVC holder pictured and put a cinder block on the pipe side and both sides coming off the T, even if it does get hooked and flipped the foot valve stays out of the sand. The top gets painted black, bottom left white. If I can see it, it needs to be fixed. If you just have a line to a valve, try to terminate near a mooring ball. People don’t tend to anchor or fish too close to them. They’re noisy under water and not provide habitat.

That looks looks a great idea. I am going to try to make one for next spring.

Do you have any idea how deep the water is where you place it and how far the lower end of the foot valve is off the lake bottom?

I have tried a couple of different setups over the last 20 plus years and I still feel like I am picking up too much sand and the filters need changing too often. Thank you

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Descant

I have a well pump similar to the set up described by Ishoot308 and Slickcraft. Never had a sand problem. (I wonder if more boat traffic in TiltonBB's area makes the water more turbulent raising sand into the intake?) I replaced the pump once, and I replaced the well pump at my mainland homer once in 45 years, so I guess the life expectancy of the pump is about 20-25 years. The poly pipe is threaded through a couple of concrete blocks to keep it close to the bottom. Anchoring in our area is rare. Some fishing. The pipe stays in place year round.
I put a 4" poly sleeve around the intake pipe and the power line to protect it from chafing where it just lays on the rocks on the shoreline. Never had ice damage, but I note there are two nearby rocks (300-400 lb?) that the ice stole from my breakwater and moves them a little bit each year. One is now close to high and dry on the shore.

Polypipe appears to have tremendous resistance to chafing; however, I took an additional step. I took four feet of polypipe, cut it into four sections, then sliced each one lengthwise. They were snapped over the intake pipe, which allowed rotatation when struck by wakes.

Because polypipe floats (and collects bubbles) those sections have stayed at the "rockline" for many years.