Hi there, looking for some advice to fix a pond and expand it some. I had thought of this a couple years back but am just back to wanting to do it.
A pond was build on our farm in the late 90s by a contractor who had to do it as part of a ROW deal. It never held water. The dam is about 8 foot high and can easily drive a pick up over it, so pretty wide. The pond will fill with a lot of rain but drain quick. It was only made to be 1/8th acre in size at the time.
I believe the bottom of the pond is the issue as they took out some very big sand stones and did not line with clay or pack with sheepsfoot roller etc.
I'd like the pond to be 1/2 acre, it is in a nice naturally valley with a good spring. So I have been contemplating either hiring someone or maybe buying some equipment and doing it myself. I am no pro at building ponds but figure that since the dam is in place it might be worth trying to seal the bottom and expand the pond up the valley to make it a decent size.
What would be a good price on getting the pond enlarged/sealed? Range of course. ( I am hoping the dam can stay intact which ought to help the price )
If I bought say an excavator it would run at least 25k for decent size mini used and then I have a skid loader but may need a dozer which I could rent nearby. I do have uses for the excavator otherwise but am leaning a bit towards having it build if the price isn't out of sight.
Thanks for any thoughts on which way to go.