Hi everyone, first post here. I've been browsing for a while, even before I started building my pond last summer.

I have about a 1/2 acre runoff pond built early last summer. During construction I told the guy I wanted it to be built not to leak, and to rent a compactor and haul in clay if necessary. He didn't feel that either was necessary, and of course my pond leaks. It leaks mainly through the dam (that I can tell), all along the bottom of the dam on the outlet side. It is more of a leak instead of seapage, when the pond is near full I can stir around in the muddy dam leak area and get slow water flow out of it. It drops a couple of inches or more per day. The leak stops once it gets below the grade level of the dam, leaving maybe 4 feet deep or so in the 'bowl' area that was dug down.

The contractor is moving and is not going to repair this for me.

The pond is currently dry right now, and should remain dry or easy to pump out in the event of small showers for repair until the fall/winter (I live near Chattanooga, TN).

I have several options for repair that I can think of, all with varying levels of cost.

I can repair myself:
1. treat it with SoilFloc once it gets water back in it this fall. I am not sure of the cost, and not sure if it would seal or not using this method. It could be wasted money.
2. treat the dam surface with bentonite, then compact myself. I have a tractor and can do this, but I don't have a good way of compacting. I can rent a padfoot roller for about $1500 per week, plus the cost of bentonite, this would cost me ~$3000 to treat the dam surface. I'm not sure that this would work either.

Hire someone to repair it:
1. Some combination of rebuilding the dam/key using bentonite or local clay, and compacting.
2. completely rebuilding the dam, possibly moving it down slightly (also using clay/bentonite/compaction)
3. I have the land/layout to put in another dam below this dam creating two ponds, although it would be somewhat long and curved (it is outside of the natural V where my current dam goes straight between). This would be the most costly option.

My problem with hiring someone is twofold, getting someone that has the proper compacting equipment in my area, and then getting them to actually come do the work at a reasonable cost.
Cost is a factor, unfortunately.

I do have one specific question: Has anyone used a vibrating plate type compactor for a dam instead of a riding sheepfoot or padfoot roller? I can rent one of those for about half the cost of a riding roller, althoug I don't know how easy it would be to use on a slope. maybe even impossible.

any advice for my situation? Are there any contractors near Chattanooga that has the right equipment that I can hire, that happen to browse this forum?

thanks
Mark