Digging a Pond

[izzy]

This past week, I took a tour of north Texas to look at some houses with acreage that I previewed online. I had my list of "must haves", but as luck would have it, I stumbled upon a property that I'll forgo those requirements, if all other conditions are satisfactory. One of the missing elements is a pond.

So - I'll dig a pond - right? Can't be too complicated. But wait - I know nothing about that. I'm sure there must be certain conditions to be considered. What would those be? Can I hire anyone to dig a pond without causing an ecological disaster on the property? The land is located in the southern plains/Blackland prarrie system with slightly alkaline clay soil.

And what about cost? I've read, but don't know for fact, that the water table is ~1500 ft down, and average costs for drilling a well run around $60,000. That would be a deal breaker - a pond would be essential for my needs.

Who, here, has had a pond dug on their property? Care to share your experience and wisdom?

[spacecase0]

a backhoe does it fast enough,
I have met people that use a garden tiller to loosen the dirt, then shovel it out, then till down more, then shovel that out, and they say that is fast enough.
once you have your pond area, either line it with pond lining fabric so that the water can't get out, depending on what liner you get, it may or may not be food safe and will need to be replaced from 5 to 30 years
or line it with clay that expands when it gets wet (Sodium bentonite) and that will keep the water in, and the clay does not break down with ultraviolet light like the plastic liners do