I m going to start first pond - close to an acre which is an extension of a one acre pond in my backyard. the existing pond is about 30 years old,about 12 feet deep. Just had Johonson Lake management do a survey. pond has had no manzgement in the past but is amazingly complete and balanced producing 5 lb bass with great regularity. As the spillway of this pond exits the NW side the land slopes down and enters a 3 acre field and drops into a creek.I am not a pond builder,at least not of this type but have built numerous ormental backyard type ponds.

I am recently retired and I guess I have some money to burn and time to kill so therefore the plans to build three ponds- the one above; a 2.5 acre and a 3.5 acre. these two on twenty acres that I am going to develop to sell. property is 20 minutes from downtown austin, texas.

So, i just want to put down my thoughts and see if there is any feed back to help prevent a train wreck- I plan to use a JD 260 skid steer loader equiped with a grouser 84" blade and steel tracks.

In my mind the process is to scrape the vegetation and top layer away and then begin excavation. This project will require a dam of about 150 feet long and about 8 foot tall at a 5 to 1 slope on the outside and a 1 to 2 on the inside. In building this dam, In my mind I make a core trench and then start piling up clay to make the dam- how and when should i start packing the clay- build the dam up 2 or three feet and then compact it with my tractor - rent a roller or what. this dam will necessiarly be 60 feet wide at the base and i guess 10 ft wide at the top?? I have considered renting a bulldozier but the rental places tell me that every piece of machinery in texas is leased out to road building projects - and $5,000.00 per month for a 150 hosrsepower machine??? I have watched guys build dams and compact it with a bull dozier and nothing else - i sort of realize that compacting this dam will be the most critical aspect of the project--- Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated - I really enjoy this site and the magazine- as we all do. thanks