Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Old Pond - Low Water

I bought some property earlier this year that has an old pond. The pond currently has a few feet of water and ~6 foot tall dam on the back side. However, the water level consistently stays around 10’ away from the dam - even after heavy rains. I’ve walked the entire perimeter, and beyond, and do not see any signs of leaking or seepage.

What’s a good reason the water level doesn’t change? There is about 15 acres of surface runoff the pond should be receiving.

I plan on expanding this old cow pond and making it deeper to take the kids fishing but I would like to figure this out first.

How big is it? I'm guessing not very big since the dam is only 6' tall. Does the water level at least come up temporary after a big rain? If not I would think there would have to be a major hole somewhere. ?You may want to pump it down so you can inspect it better. If it was built just as a small watering hole someone might of just pushed up the dirt and made a dam and didn't worry about using good clay or cutting a key way and coring the dam. Even if that is how they built it, still it should come up several feet after a heavy rain, with that much watershed.
I'm thinking if you want a bigger pond and if you have room behind this one, then use this one as a sediment pond and build a new pond.
The more info you give the more one of the pros (I'm not one of them) here can help. Pictures are good too.

Thanks for the response Bob. You are correct that it is not big at all - maybe 0.2 acres. I'm not sure about the dam construction, it appears to be in good shape with no visible signs of deterioration or damage anywhere. I bought the property in the summer (dry period) and figured the low water level was a result of evaporation since there is no water source like a creek or anything. We just had a few heavy rains and the water level is the same as before - as if no water even made it to the pond. I was not there during the rain so I couldn't see if the level temporarily rose or not, but if it did, it sure did drain out really fast. If there was a major hole, wouldn't all of the water drain out? Or at least enough to expose that area in the pond bed.

I don't have any pictures right now but I will take a few when I get down there this weekend.

I have plenty of options with this area and starting over could be the best way to go to ensure there aren't any issues, at least old issues. This situation just puzzled me and since I'm not a pond expert, I thought I would see if I could peak somebody's curiosity on here that has more knowledge on this subject than I do.

I would make a decision once you are physically on the property more. Has the topography changed so the pond is not getting runoff any more? Does the pond fill and go dry in a few days? Without being on-site, there is no way to know. Too many variables to even hazard a guess to what is going on.