Greer,

I used what I believe was the best pond builder in SW Missippi and he had never used a vibratory roller before and argued with me when I wanted to use one. I asked him to rent one and I'd pay for the 3rd party rental, so we agreed on that basis.

The majority of the time, I drove the compactor (my wife also drove it!, so anyone can do it with a little instruction) so I could see it "walking out" and also see what type of soil the dozer was spreading in the lifts. Now the contractor is sold on a roller. From Nov 18 to December 15 I did not get a drop of rain and my pond level only dropped .24' (under 3"). This is likely mostly due to evaporation, so I see this relatively small amount of associated cost for the roller well worth it.

Honestly, with the sand strata that was encountered during the core tests and during excavation, I couldn't imagine it holding water this well.

Hope this helps.