for those of you that have shared your thoughts with me i appreciate it (theo & others)--am into week 2 of building pond---understand now why the bid was 20K---there is a lot of dirt moving and dam coring--we are coring from one hill all across bottom and to tie into other hill so it is a very long "dam" ---am still concerned about runoff maintaining the pond due to the drought we had this summer--neighbor down there tells me over the past two months has had 1/10 inch of rain---historically that is not nearly normal--but we are adding the extra drainage from more property and am also going to fix a "pumping" station to help fill it over the next few months and to assist in dry summer months if push comes to shove. am taking pictures and if can figure how to scan them into my computer and post a few i will do so---they will be from "start" to "finish" if i can--- this board is a great resource especially to a novice as myself---my advice in ga. is forget nrcs and find a contractor you trust to work thru any problems you might encounter--also one that has years of experience in your area. they know what to expect. i'll feel better when i see it full of water and i can stock it. thanks again all