[Foozle]

Thanks for the responses.

With regard to terminology, yeah, the state would probably frown upon disturbing a potential "wetland," so as you say, I'm digging the silt out of an existing pond rather than digging a new one.

Good idea on digging further away from the spring source first - I may try that. The only problem is I wanted to dig at the source first so as to see whether the water supply will support the size of the pond. My plan was to enlarge a little at a time and see if the spring supported the size. This is why I thought of using the pump to clear out the existing hole and enlarge a little each week and let fill back up. I'm sure this isn't efficient, but I don't want to overcommit on size until I'm sure the water source is sufficient to be sustainable.

Yeah - the spoil issue is already an issue. I'll need to get a dump truck or dump trailer to be able to cart off the dirt. It seems like it might be fairly rich soil as it is jet black, so I'm thinking about amending my garden soil with it.

I'll try to take some pics over the weekend to give you a better idea of what I'm working with.

Thanks,

Dave