Ten years after buying the property and building a cabin I rented a backhoe and installed a septic system. Afterwards, I used the backhoe to build a small 1/8th acre test pond at the upper end of the valley, where the gully begins. While digging a cutoff trench across the gully I discovered the bottom had eroded down to a vein of sugar sand. Therefore, I had to scrape clay from the sides, to cover the bottom, in order to achieve a good seal. Even with the extra, unforeseen work, I completed the pond in about 8 hours. Estimated cost of construction was a mere $100. However, the discovery of the sandy bottom meant that building a larger pond downstream would require more machine work than I had anticipated.
The little pond filled to a 9ft. depth and held water relatively well. It soon became home to Minnows, Crayfish, Turtles, Frogs, Snakes, etc. None of which I put in there. It was really interesting to observe it�s eco-system develop over time.
