Welcome to the forum.

It all depends on how much of a gambler you are.

Some NRCS offices have a soil coring tool that will allow soil samples to be taken without heavy equipment - check the office that is in your county.

Compacting the dam core and tracking the slopes is O.K. providing you can tie the core into good soil where the dam contacts each side of the ravine.

You should compact the whole pond basin that will be under water, or take your chances on it leaking. With a pond that small, if the ravine is that steep how can you get equipment in there to compact the dam? How will you remove the stumps from the trees that are cut?

www.hoosierpondpros.com


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).