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We're having the worst drought in 40 years out here (No CA), so I was worried about the lush green weeds growing in one spot close to the irrigation line. I thought I had a leaky pipe.
I dug up the weeds and found instead two concrete boxes, one 16" sq and the other 18" sq, separated by about 8 feet. They both have heavy concrete paver covers. They both have 2" - 4" PVC pipes on three sides and both had standing water in them. I believe they are connected by the 4" PVC pipe, but I haven't dug out the 8 ft between them yet so I'm not sure.
Does anyone have any ideas about what these things are, why they are there, and why there's water in them? Why have two boxes? They are located very near the property line fence, so I can't explore too far. There are no similar oases of green vegetation uphill. The adjacent property is also unirrigated pasture and the nearest house is at least 1/2 mile away, so I don't think I'm getting runoff from someone's septic tank (yuck). My own house and septic are downhill several hundred feet.
I've attached some photos; also cross posting to the House Forum.
Is there a surface water supply of some sort uphill from them? Or a windmill, or the remains of one? They look like junction boxes for some kind of gravity-flow irrigation system. Not sure why there would be two, unless it's to divert the water in more directions.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Since the pipes are all open within the boxes, I would expect them to be the end of the line for a surface water drainage system. There may be an uphill drain tile or field that feeds into this to allow the water to drain during periods of rain to prevent mudslides or other erosion. If deep enough in the ground they could be filling up with ground water from the house
1/2 mile away of they are watering the yard, and are at a higher elevation. There could even be an underground spring at that location, and this is the collection point for the water to run off to another location so it doesn't puddle up.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Duster & hemlock, I think you are on it. The boxes are very close to the present irrigation line, which is pump-driven. I asked my irrigation guy about gravity-flow when I moved here and he said the drop in elevation between the canal and the property wouldn't give me enough pressure, but I'm betting that back in the day there was a wind-powered or gravity system. Wikipedia says that PVC started being used for piping in the late 1920s, so they could be 80 years old. The boxes are right at the surface, so I don't think it's a spring or seep or ground water, especially given that water collects in them despite the current drought.
The only thing I still can't figure out is why two boxes. Another poster suggested it was to remove sediment, and from the placement of the pipes it's obvious that's what they're doing (I fished out a bunch of muck from the bottom when I discovered them), though settling it out twice seems like overkill. The outflow pipes go in the same directions (north and east) in both boxes.
I love a good mystery and figuring this out is great fun.
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