Thanks, HH. I think it was not so much poor workmanship as maybe like you mentioned beavers or muskrats. It held water for over 50 years before the break. I did some more investigating on the pond and found that for many years(before my time) it was maintained well, mowed around, nuisance animals shot, etc. Then my inlaws moved away (not far but off the pond) it essentially was let grow up and then the critters took over. they think a MR got the digging started and beavers held back the spillway and overflow pipe. I'm not sure.
One question though, if the dam was built with good material, can I not move the dam reuse the old material from the original dam to build a new one and supplement as neccesary. I already considered building a new dam "in front" of the old dam essentially cutting the SA a little.
