Other than an artificial pond, filled from a well, I can't think of another area on my property to build a new pond that would have any advantage over this one. This is the "Ozarks", only one flat spot on the whole place, and that is where the house sits. Most of the land is second growth oak trees. (100+ years) The ravines are very steep and narrow. Limestone bedrock is just a few feet down everywhere, and springs and seeps abound. Some are amazingly high above the valley floor.
And, while nostalgia is obviously a factor, I'm actually wanting it different than it used to be. Lower than it used to be, but deeper than it is now. (I have talked with the rural fire district about using it as a water source for them. If it was cleaned out, and raised a few feet, it would have plenty of storage for them. But then I would have to build a gravel road to the fill pipe, and that is another expense.)
Silt influx is not the problem it once once, all the drainage areas, including the highway right of way, are now covered with grass or trees, and even during heavy rains the inflow is fairly clear, though it is not perfect by any means. I would guess the upstream watershed is 80 acres or so. Two homes were recently built upstream and they may have added a little silt to the flow. Hopefully that will go away once they are finished and landscaped. (7 inches of rain this week, 3" yesterday, and the pond is clear enough to see the bottom this morning.)
I have talked to a couple of "pond builders". One suggested moving the dam downstream 50 or 60 feet, but that was a $20K project.
Guess I probably should be finding a local expert/conservation department and try to get some independent advice from people who can look at the land. (Or should I post some pictures of the pond?)
