We purchased a 22 acre farm in eastern PA. It's half wooded and half pasture. I can envision a .5-1 acre pond being put in, but there are some major obstacles. No existing water (aside from an old well) and almost no ability for run off (the property is very level). Logic says this would be an uphill battle, but I would love for this to work out. According to Google, we get an average of 41 inches of rain here in PA, but that doesn't help all that much if there's no acreage draining into it. During the summer months I would have to rely on a well pump to avoid drastic changes in water levels I'd imagaine. What are your thoughts? What details can I provide to be able to hear your opinion on the matter?

The site in question can be seen in picture below and would be at the 11:00 of where 4C is listed.

Across the Road ? There is always hope.

Not across the road. For argument's sake we'll say right next to where it says "4C".

Are there ponds in close proximity to your property ?

Have you done any borehole tests to see what is under the top few inches of dirt ?

The nearest ponds I know of are both a half a mile away with diameters no larger than a few hundred feet. One is spring fed, and the other is completely dependent upon rain water. The latter dropped about 8 inches last summer the owner said. I didn't think that was bad at all.

The closest water I know of is stream across the street which I don't own. It's more wetlands than stream. I was at my property today. The more I looked at it, the more I think it just might work. Here are a few questions I have so far:

1) With no inflow or outflow, will the water ever clear up? I'm completely new to this, but I think adequate aeration and finding a balanced ecosystem are musts.
2) Speaking with a friend of mine, it would cost a fortune to have the fill hauled out. Going rate around here is $40/triaxle, so somewhere around $35k in hauling alone. My wife would NEVER, and I do mean never go for that. Is it common to have the full stacked around the perimeter of the pond to build up the height? I then wouldn't have to dig as deep and wouldn't have to get rid of as much fill. I could use quite a bit across the property (probably 6-800ft away), but that again would cost a lot of money to have it brought and dumped there.

ETA: I plan on digging a few holes the next time the field is cut down.

Water is going to flow some direction even on relative flat ground. You could use some of the dirt to build some small terraces to help guide water to your pond. Based off picture, I'm guessing what slope there is drains from road towards the timber/creek area behind the property?

Yes water can clear that really has to do with other facters.

Aeration always help.

Biggest factor for you is what type soil do you have, and how well it will hold water. You need clay to hold water, and gravel and sand won't hold water.

You can still gather runoff by putting in something like farm tile and direct drainage into the pond basin, or just some simple ditches to do the same. Make sure the pond is designed to sit a little lower so water can run into it without it backing up into the drains when full.

The big question then becomes what is the soil like? If it drains well, it may never make it to the pond.

BTW an 8" drop though a dry summer is not a lot. Many of us have a ton of runoff, and poorly constructed dams loose more than that. Last summer during a drought I was down almost 3'. It wasn't pretty. This year I have had water running through it up until two weeks ago when it finally stopped pouring rain.