thanks for the advice, I was told a check valve on a pipe would probably work if I went that route. I will also investigate the terrace For right now I am just filling in the low spots and trying to divert it to our lower pond which is much bigger and downhill. From there I can just pump it into the new upper one with my trash pump . I made a pretty good dent with 2 loads of dirt and spent several hours spreading and grading it. Still a few hours to go on the tractor but I think it is looking pretty good and should push the water towards the lower one which would be fine. We are supposed to get a lot of rain Sunday night and Monday so maybe I'll get some run off and see if all my work pays off. If not I will see where it pools and re-evaluate. I really appreciate all the advice.