Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Question on pond cost estimation

700 ft to move the dirt costs a lot more than 100 ft.
Using the dirt in the dam area impounds more water and is usually the most economical place to put the dirt.
If a standard dam isn't practical raising the property up on the low side of the pond can normally use a massive amount of dirt.
On yardage just figure the hole to be dug.
I'll try to do a simple example to get a fairly close yardage estimate.
200 x 200 hole 11 ft deep. Ground is sloping 1 ft every 100 ft so 8 ft cut top side, 9 ft cut dam side will give a flat bottom and = 10 ft average cut. Slopes at 3:1 = 10x3 = 30 ft per side average.
2 slopes = 1 cube =
170x170x10= 28900/27=10,703 cubic yds
100 x 100 hole avg 10 ft deep 3:1 slopes
70x70x10=49,000 /27= 1814 cu yds and would have a 40ft by 40 ft bottom
100x100 x 5 ft deep with 3:1 slopes
85*85*5=3625 /27 = 1338 yds
If you could waste the dirt right by the pond and went with the 1800 yd pond I would think you could get a bid for about 50-75 cents less and I would hope that to save and spread topsoil on top of the waste dirt would not be extra.
I would suggest 10 ft depth.
If it's bid use a fixed reference point away from the work to survey from (bench mark). Something like the top of a fence post in a fence that won't be disturbed. Take surface shots and a shot from the bench mark.
If the surface shot is 5 ft lower than the bench mark than the pond bottom should be 15 ft lower than the bench mark, if going 10 ft deep.