Hi Andrew, a belated welcome to Pond Boss.

I highly recommend that you read everything you can get your hands on regarding pond construction and maintenance. A great place to start is the section on this forum entitled "Common Pond Q & A." Specifically within this section is a thread for the "USDA Agriculture Handbook #590 - Ponds - Planning, Design and Construction." Its a big download but a great read.

Also do a google search on pond maintenance (also try farm pond maintenance). Many states have guides about pond construction and maintenance.

It sounds like you have a great potential project!

JHAP
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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)