Part of my answer to ls is here in CAPS and the rest is below...
I wonder if there is another source of water/spring that just so happens to be feeding the creek some of the water you are seeing? Hopefully not sourced by the pond... though what you are seeing may be the culmination of all of the water seepage under and around your area.
GOOD POINT. THE WET SPOTS/PUDDLES DO DRY UP AS I GO FURTHER DOWN THE HILL TOWARD THE STREAM. THE LONGER WE GO W/O RAIN THE MORE THESE PUDDLES DRY UP EVEN THOUGH I STILL CONTINUE TO LOSE WATER FROM THE POND AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE. THE PUDDLE AT THE BOTTOM HAS SOME WATER OR VERY DAMP GROUND YEAR ROUND - EVEN WHEN MY POND WAS BONE DRY FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS.
The real question is if your inflow can keep up with this outflow?
NO WAY, MY ONLY SOME OF WATER IS RUN OFF.
I think maybe another option would be to build a secondary pond downstream and capture/stop this water. If able, you could bring the level up to the existing dam or close enough to it that there isn't enough static pressure difference to force the leak any more. That would save needing to drain the pond, and you would have another BOW as a result of spending more $$$ rather than just shifting some dirt around. Just a thought.
GOOD THOUGHT, BUT THE ONLY PLACE I ALWAYS SEE WATER IS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE HILL - 75' BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE DAM. THIS WATER IS ALL UNDER GROUND. A DAM 25, 50, FEET FROM THE BASE OF THE DAM WOULD SEE A LITTLE WATER, BUT IT QUICKLY SEEPS THRU THE GROUND.
WHAT YOU SUGGESTED SOUNDS GREAT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE I WOULD HAVE TO BUILD A DAM AT THE BASE OF THE HILL (75' HIGH) TO HOLD THE WATER AND EQUALIZE THE PRESSURE - PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M OFF BASE HERE. I LIKE THE IDEA OF SMALLER PONDS (LIKE WHAT BEAVERBOY DID), BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK IN MY SITUATION.
THANKS FOR THE THOUGHTS AND SUGGESTION, AND SORRY FOR THE CAPS...
