Got another quote... he was at 8K off the top of his head, but is supposed to let me know an exact figure tomorrow based on how much dirt needs moved. I definitely can't pay that... I'll try to give a few more people a call.

Question for the ones that built their own ponds. Did you guys rent an excavator & what size/how long did it take? Just for the heck of it, I priced one at a local rental place. The largest one they have is $275 a day. Let's say I go through 300 in fuel a day, That's $575 a day. If for some reason I needed it for 5 days, that's only $2875 for the week. I could rent it for 2 week and still save $2K

This is the largest one they have, would it get the job done?
http://www.generalrentall.com/catalog/product/mini-excavator-kubota-kx057-4

Any suggestions/tips if I decide to go this route?