D.I.E.D. and Eastland,

It would be some luck to rain now (although a welcome relief).

The pond is in natural valley, the dam is at the near end and a (normally) running creek feeding the far end. It starts shallow and gets deeper as you get closer to the dam. This picture is from last year. The full water line generally follows the dirt road visible in the picture. When full, the entire area below the dirt road will be underwater. The water you see in the picture has now evaporated, due to the drought:


The issue I want to address is the perimeter of the pond. It is not sloped properly. Some areas have drop offs, others have very shallow slopes. I want to end up with a well sculptured perimeter � one that I can mow and keep the brush from taking over. Additionally, I want to have a good road all the way around the pond.

D.I.E.D. good point, most of the work is at the far end of the lake and I think there is plenty of room to dig up there without problems.

Eastland, the marsh is a natural low spot in the valley and it collects water due to the natural drainage. My pond was already low (drain down) when the drought hit last year, evaporation took care of the rest. What slope should I plan for on the sides? It seems like I need to plan on 6 feet of rise and fall due to annual summer evaporation. Is it better to have a constant slope from the full line all the way to the bottom or have ledges and drop offs?

Gator

- Smoke 'em if you got 'em

[Linked Image from i4.photobucket.com]