Pond Spillover Recommendation
Updated: Aug 2
The KPVA retention pond has a stable southern bank over which excess water flows during heavy rain. That stream exits at one low spot, dropping a few feet to the larger St. Joseph County retention pond.
Over the years that occasional stream has eroded the span between ponds until the head cut—where the water drops like a mini-waterfall—has sliced across the KPVA boundary to the edge of the berm. The only thing holding back a full break of the berm is existing plastic landscape edging.
On July 10, 2026, John Law, Construction Supervisor for the St. Joseph County Surveyor's Office, met some KPVA homeowners at the site to recommend solutions to fix the deteriorating spillover. He noted a positive feature is that the existing berm is surprisingly solid and resilient. “You don’t want to mess with it,” he noted, such as excavating a wider section to implement a grander fix.
Law recommends a Turf Reinforcement Mat (TRM), a geo-synthetic material that rolls out and interlocks. Keep the water on top, not underneath. Leave the grass where it now is. Secure the mat underneath the lip of the existing landscape edging using stakes. Bigger rocks to hold it down will just cause turbulence. Berm up the secondary spillover to match the grade.
To view sample products, search for Permanent Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRM) or High Velocity Erosion Control Matting. There are numerous examples and types of mats made of various materials.
From notes of the meeting…There used to be a TR250, TR350, TR450 (which is a tertiary reinforcement mat). The 250 is going to be less aggressive than the 350, and the 450 is going to be a lot more aggressive--heavier, thicker, smaller openings; stronger for a bigger flow. The higher the flow, the more aggressive you want it to be. The KPVA spillover is a small flow, but it's a permanent flow. The synthetic Turf Reinforcement Mat stays, and then as the grass comes up through it doesn't move. It's a solid base.
