Thanks, I agree about the trees. should an 8ft dam be pretty dry top to bottom on the backside normally, or is some seep normal? I think the springs pretty and will keep it full even with leaks. I think my main concern is potential for failure, and just getting worse fast.

I dont mind spending some $$ now, like 20-25k to bring in dirt guys to drain it, remove trees, new drain pipe, add bentonite to front face, etc, if this range +/- will do the work needed. I can spend some money to get it nice, so I can keep it maintained for the next 20-25 years. What I dont want is the 50-100k pricetag for a do-over. I just have no idea how much dirt 10k, 20k, 30k moves? Im in NY in a rural area, not down with the rich city folk.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Last edited by JimNY; 01/03/20 03:47 PM.