This is a link to a set of photos documenting the pond excavation, from the site clearing through today. It's pretty much finished. It took about three months, from start to finish, and was a physically tough project.
The next steps will be to complete the spillway stand-pipe, some additional dirt work (by hand) around the dam, and allot of landscaping and planting of grass around the banks to prevent erosion of the soil.
The site is in a naturally low lying ravine a few hundred feet from the house. The ravine has several underground springs, and also catches water runoff from about 15 acres surrounding the property. When it fills (if it fills) it will be approximately 2/10ths of an acre, and about twelve feet deep at the center. The measurements are approx. 145' x 65'. I was shooting for a quarter acre, but the topography just would not allow it without building the dam up quite a bit more. Maybe next year.
It currently has about three feet of water in it, which is a good sign considering the drought that we are in here. It goes up about an inch per day. It started to fill during the digging due to the underground springs. The water is a nice creamy jade color. Once the Fall rains begin, we will see how it fills and holds water.
The actual dirt moving was very time consuming. The digging went relatively fast, but moving the piles of dirt varying distances on the property took a while. As someone said, it's probably the most expensive way on earth to be bored. It was much more dirt than I had anticipated. I made hills out it, ran out of room, made new trails, and made more hills. I estimate, based on the length, width, and depth, that the earth moved was around 1,200 cubic yards.
Right now the pond is home to about a thousand little frogs and tadpoles, but hopefully in the near future I'll put some fish in it. My next research and posts on the forum will be in stocking and management areas.
I have alway liked learning how, and doing things myself. This site and the vast knowledge of the moderators and members made that possible.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28078572@N04/sets/
