Flooding is not a big issue for the Baan Sammi property. Over 20 years, from 2003 to 2024, four floods affected Baan Sammi, of which only one was heavy, but without causing significant damages. Nevertheless, this flood was the reason for implementing improvements to future flood prevention in some sections of the property. All the floods and the improvements are documented in the Google album Floods 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2024, each photo with brief explaining notes.
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| Only one flood in 2020, the heaviest within 20 years, caused the private driveway to be somewhat flooded in a short section for several days. Since some additional structural measures to prevent flooding were implemented in 2021, similar flooding of the driveway in the future is quite unlikely. |
The information in this chapter is usually not relevant to most tenants, except
● the tenants and guests of Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion (Moonlight Pavilion), and
● tenants or other people when using the private driveway of Baan Sammi by car or bike.
- The water level of the ponds and ditches within the property of Baan Sammi is slowly but constantly increasing during rainfall of the rainy season from April/May to October/November.
- The smaller ponds and ditches reach a higher level earlier than the large pond (Dragon's Paddling Pool). As all the ponds and ditches are connected (except Pond South, which is connected to the public canal located only outside the property), water may run from the smaller ponds and ditches into the large pond until the water level has become equally high. As rain continues, the water level rises even more.
- Then, the water level rises on all sloped banks of the ponds and ditches. As the banks are covered by vegetation, some plants may be flooded, but this does not cause a problem as most of these plants are adapted to higher water levels.
- If precipitation is exceptionally high, especially towards the end of the rainy season (which happened only once since 2003), only one building, Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion, could be affected by too high a water level of the large pond, i.e., rising to the deck in front of the lowermost room (combined kitchen-living room). When the distance of the water level becomes less than 30 or 20 centimeters (12–8 inches) from the surface of that deck, then weather forecasts should be taken into account, and countermeasures (in the event of further downpours) must be considered and prepared.
The countermeasures:
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Too high water levels in the ponds of the property can be regulated and controlled with taps at the concrete shaft located between Pond East and Pond South. In a more serious event of flood control, a submersible water pump needs to be placed into Pond East near the bridge and the water pumped into Pond South. |
The connection between Pond East and Pond South (only the latter pond connected to the public canal by a culvert) is blocked by a narrow concrete wall and shaft, which, however, is with three connecting PVC pipes at different heights, each with a tap on the side of Pond East. If the water level in Pond East is so high that it covers the highest of the three pipes and taps, then this indicates the maximum acceptable water level. The taps of the pipes are permanently closed to avoid unwanted water flow from Pond South and the public canal into the ponds of the property. However, these pipes function as water outlets for the water in the ponds of the property to the receiving Pond South, which is connected to the receiving public canal outside the property. To open the taps will enable the water to flow out. Three situations are to be considered as follows:
● The water level of Pond South is too high. It is too high if water can be seen in the concrete shaft connected to the concrete wall. Taps must remain closed. You have to wait until there is no longer any water on the bottom of that shaft, which can take 2–4 days, provided there is no more rainfall during those days.
● The water level of Pond South is NOT too high, i.e., there is no water at the bottom of the concrete shaft. All three taps can be opened to let the water flow out to Pond South and, from there, to the public canal.
● Both, the water levels of Pond South and Pond East are too high. If the downpour continues over days and nights, not only the water level in Pond South is too high but also the water level in Pond East (hence, simultaneously high in all other ponds within the property), then the taps cannot be used but a submersible water pump must be set up on the ground of Pond East (next to the bridge) to pump out the water and into Pond South. The setting up of such a pump with PVC pipes is explained in a separate Google document (the link to be provided later).
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Pond East (left), with the bridge over the pond, and the concrete shaft in the foreground, view from the pathway (between Pond East and Pond South) towards the north. This pond is connected to all other ponds and ditches on the Baan Sammi property, except to Pond South. Pond South (right), view from the pathway (between Pond East and Pond South) towards the south. This pond is connected further south to the public canal beyond the Baan Sammi property. |
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The concrete shaft at the end of Pond East, next to the pathway, which separates Pond East from Pond South: The concrete shaft as seen from the pathway (left). The concrete shaft with the three (closed) taps, as seen from the bridge over Pond East (right). When the water level is higher in Pond East, the taps can be opened to let the water flow out into Pond South, and, from there, further to the public canal. |
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These two photos were taken immediately after the exceptional flooding in August 2020. The water had to be pumped out from Pond East (left) to Pond South (right) using a submersible pump connected to a (blue) PVC pipe so that the water could drain towards the public canal beyond the Baan Sammi property. |
As an indicator of the absolute height of the water level in the ponds, the distance of the water level to the upper inner edge of the culvert is best suited to determine whether water or how much water should be pumped out.
A final note is a request to all people who want or need to use a car or bike on the Baan Sammi property: If it rains heavily and for a long time during the rainy season, the surface of the lower part of the private driveway is temporarily softened by the rain and the vehicle tires leave dented marks when driving on them. In order to avoid this, we ask, if at all possible, to leave the vehicles in the higher area of the driveways or to park them there. These are the sections of the driveways immediately adjacent to the two gates (Gate 1 and Gate 2), both sections within the property.
