Wow - big pond. When I come up against a pond, lake, call it what you will, I let my excavator make the choice of equipment and methods since he does earthwork all day long. And these are two very different machines which need to fit into the big picture - like where does the excavated dirt go and how do you get it there?. We had a stockbroker who used to run heavy equipment in college decide to put a 'fishin' hole' in his yard so he could come home, get into his rowboat and catch dinner - just like he did in Missouri. It was about 3,000 sq ft. He got a burst of testosterone, rented a wheel loader and punched a hole in his yard, then called me out. This was a mess - the removed dirt was just piled around it, it was down by the river, so it had layers of sugar sand and other strata falling inward, utilities in midair supported by 2x4's for resolution. A classic case of ready, fire, aim. Additionally, he got no floodplain approval. To make a long story short, had the project been planned and executed properly, additional equipment would have been in place to move earth around. The wheel loader was the right choice for digging it, but there was so much more to the project than punching a hole in the ground and going from there. Ultimately, it was filled in and returned to flat land. Nice idea - poor execution. Good Luck!
For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/axMOk You don't have to use a rubber liner, it's just what most people do. You'll need something to contain the water though. My neighbor picked up some roofing tar paper at an auction and used that to line his pond. If you don't line the pond, the water won't stay in it. It may take awhile for the water to evaporate and/or be absorbed into the ground, but if you have a really dry summer, it won't take as long as you think and you'll be filling the pond all the time with the garden hose. Also, by not containing the water, you run the risk of erosion, which could cause the pond to cave in on itself at some point. Not fun. Anything that you can find that is waterproof and will contain water will do the trick. You can use a child's swimming pool, rubbery tarps, roofing tar paper, pieced together sheet metal, etc. The possibilities are endless, but I would highly recommend using some sort of liner to contain the water so you aren't constantly having to add water in the case of a dry summer and to avoid any type of erosion issues. Good luck, hope this helps!
It depends on how big you want your pond to be. If it's to be an ornamental garden pond, use a shovel. If you are digging a farm pond, use a 'dozer or track loader depending on the soil conditions.
My pond was dug by what I considered a large back hoe. The scoop was a one yard size. They use a bulldozer and dump trucks to spread the excavated material. I dug it 7 feet deep but the water table was close to that depth and the bulldozer would shake the bottom like jello. Just leave it to the ones who will dig it, but consider what you will do with the remove materials. And don't overlook forming a levee of at least one foot high around the perimeter of the pond suitable for a vehicle to drive on or to cut the grass. You can install a drainage pipe at the level you want to keep water in your pond, since heavy rains will cause it to overflow. A dozer or track loader would only be suitable if the water table was not close to the surface.
