Thanks for the replies guys. Here is some more specific information regarding my pond. It was dug two years ago this Oct. I worked with the local soil conservation office and a reputable local contractor (I thought). I even went to look at ponds he had built and talked to the owners regarding their ponds. My father-in-law had a pond constructed by this contractor with no problems. My pond dam is constructed with a soil mix of clay/red shale. Everyone involved said that we shouldn't have a problem with leakage once it fills. Year number one was a very dry year with below average rainfall. The pond filled to about 8'. This 8' included 7' underground and 1' onto the dam. Year two has been an average year for rain at our house. The pond filled an additional 4'. We had about 5' of water on the dam with seepage/evaporation losing around 1" a day. We are now back to only about 2' of water on the dam and 7' underground for a total of 9'. The pond spills at 16'-17'. I have noticed a change in the contour of the dam in places. I believe it is still settling here and there. The seepage occurs in the thickest and tallest part of the dam and leaves a swampy area of about 90 sq/ft on the backside. This seems to indicate to me that this portion of the dam may not have been sufficiently compacted. I have called the contractor to ask his advice and he seems uninterested. I would like to fix the problem but...you guessed it, I hate to lose my fish by draining the pond for repair and of course cost is always a factor. My wife wants me to "embrace" the swamp as a wetland which I am not opposed to but I still would like more water in the pond. Thanks to all.