DuckSouth.com

Siphon or ram pump, the river would have to be considerably higher than at least some ground on your place. Probably hard to find that to be the case anywhere in the Delta, unless said river is within a levee.

My Dad did that with a pond back in the mid 60s. They had three inch plastic pipes, would walk down to the pond easing the pipe down as they went, heat up the end of it and stick a small jar on the end of it then walk it back over the dam, down below the spillway and break the jar. Worked.