Thanks.....all great advise. In retrospect I would have started with the NRCS. Instead I interviewed three pond contractors that do nothing but dig ponds. And as much as I could tell from references and looking at their work they all know what they're doing.
I met all three on site, all told me I would most likely have to line the pond unless we were lucky enough to hit clay. Core samples down to 12' did not find clay.
The builder I picked was not the cheapest but had the most experience building ponds. He also has the least experience with clay as most of his work is done in Northern Michigan.
When we hit the Gray Clay he told me exactly what we needed to do. He is very confident the pond will seal but based on what I have read on this forum I now have my concerns.
While I appreciate and respect your advise I'm not sure there is more to do at this point other then let it rain and see if it holds. Perhaps I should have stayed with plan A using a liner.
However, if water is in fact seaping in from the bottom I will get the contractor back on site ASAP. BTW all three contractors told me they had no issues digging in the winter.
Last edited by rcgoblue; 01/22/15 04:29 PM.
