Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Pond site construction method question

New member, new post after reading many archived. Purchased land in Rutherford co. NC. Many run off situations, creeks and ponds in the hills of western NC. Creek on property is about 5 feet wide and 6 in. deep in most places. My section seems to begin no more than 2-miles from property on all maps. Therefore, my water is crystal clear and has never historically been dry. All good for consistency and contamination. 25 acre property is terraced from previous crop growth and to prevent erosion in Pac2 soil region. Property descends from elevation 980 to (920 where creek resides) with maybe 10 feet of fall where property starts and runs fairly flat off prop. About 50 ft above creek, one of these terraces is deeper. THOUGHT WAS to deepen and shape this to create pond with min dig. QUESTION WAS core samples sure but any thoughts on if this down hill side would hold water as dam! Dont want to disturb, settled,turfed swell. But, need to know. Goal is cheaper build that does not connect to existing creek. (EPA) After creek samples will decide where to retrieve 'fill water' from: creek or well. Creek water could be lifted easily by ram pump into pond and regulate flow back to creek. Stupid/not Stupid/problems/thoughts?

No matter the existing soil, I would do core samples to see if clay was available on-site and I would make sure that the pond builder used a sheepsfoot roller or something with wheels to compact the dirt in 3-4 lifts of approximately 8" height per lift. I would NOT use anything with tracks to compact the soil.