Ed,

Thanks for that reply. There's no question I can raise the dam height myself with little or no added cost...just the fuel and time on the 450c. Fortunately, good clay is in abundance at this site. Based on your info, that's trading against at least $3000 for a track hoe operation. Looks like an easy decision...unless another expert here has a case for removing it, the muck stays and the dam goes a little higher. Thanks.