I have an existing pond and one end is very shallow, less than 1 foot deep. This works well for the geese, but not so good for the bass. I would like to dig it deeper as raising the levy is not an option.

What I am wondering, is there any danger that the pond will drain or be damaged if we dig it out with a backhoe?

Probably not but the only safe way to know is to get a core soil test. Another way with somewhat more risk, is to go no deeper than the deepest part of your pond...under the assumption that if soil conditions are okay in the deepest part then it would be okay in the shallow part. There is a risk of hitting sand, rocks, or other soil conditions which are porous. I'd take the risk in my area, but not familiar with yours.

If you go forward with the idea and hit solid rock, be careful and stop at that level. From a drillers perspective, most water wells are supported layers of rock, if you puncture the layer supporting the water, you could loose what you already have.

The pond is very narrow, so alot could removed along side the edges, but the middle would still be very shallow if a backhoe was used from shore.

Is this job best suited for a back hoe on some sort of barge/float, or is there some other sort of specialized device needed?

Duke,

If you want the best coverage, a track-hoe is your best bet. They can extend much farther than a back-hoe and can lift much larger payloads....which is needed in water. Also, the tracks permit much better access. A back-hoe on a barge sounds like a rather drastic measure. Don't think I'd want that job.

An excavator I hired to do work in my pond had a 60 foot reach, although the bucket was relatively small considering the size of the machine. I believe "the longer the reach, the smaller the bucket" to be the general rule - which makes sense.