Steve, I feel bad for you. I hate to say it but I thought something didn't sound right when you said he was using a skid steer to clear with when if he was going to bring out a dozer, it would do the job so much faster. I also hate to tell you but my pond site was all wooded with thick under growth and the clearing part of the project was much cheaper than the dam part.
I hope you can figure out a way to get your pond soon!
Well, when I bought the property, I was fortunate enough to have a basic pond shape already formed. The biggest issue was the tree removal, which is probably 75% done. In my case, there won't actually be a lot of dirt that needs to be moved, other than for the dam. He has a several large piles of clay set aside specifically for the dam, and had claimed that he could finish the project in 1 day with his D9 dozer (if he even has one). I don't think he owns his own equipment, other than a truck with a big flatbed for hauling the smaller equipment.
@esshup - When I contacted them about their permit information regarding pond size and dam height, I asked him that very question and he said they no longer keep a list of pond builders. I'm seeing how incredibly easy it is to rip someone off in the pond building business. Sad.
