The dirt doesn't have to go far. The pond will be in the middle of an 8 acre flat field, and there are a number of ways I can go about using the dirt clost to the dig site.
The estimate of 20k (for 1a) involved leveling out the dirt or moving it nearby. My 2nd "guesstimate" was for 21k+ (for 1a) and it did NOT include moving the dirt away from the dig site. It was just for digging a hole and dumping the dirt near the site. Anything else would be extra.
As for the NRCS, I actually just called them the other day, and the guy told me that they don't have any programs to assist with building a private pond and that they don't get involved in smaller projects like this. Instead, he just pointed me to the county's website where they have a VERY basic outline of the pond-building process and told me that I should have no problem planning it out myself. :rolleyes: Gotta love those tax-dollars being put to good use.
