Thanks for the welcome everyone, yes, it is going to be a big project. The existing pond is 4 years old and has had no attention paid to it at all. I have just started clearing out around it a few weeks ago and it is a JUNGLE out there. Really. I'm about 3/4's of the way done removing most of the vegetation from about 12 feet from the pond sides. I'll attach pics at the bottom. I'm at a stand still right now, my weed eater's head was ripped off and I have to get another one next week. Anyway, I'm going to finish that and maybe go back another 12 feet. I'll remove all the spindly scrub oaks and any large trees that have limbs that can fall into the pond before we are ready to line and fill it.
Thanks for the advice on the liner, I agree to not skimp there. Originally I had planned on using polyethylene, but after reading these forums have decided on EPDM. I am on a limited budget, but this is one place I know it pays to do it right the first time. I probably won't be starting on the actual pond until the first of next year, the pond liner and dirt will be pricey, so I'm saving! Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm grateful to have found this forum and am hoping this time will be a success!
Oh, the first pic is when I started, the next is where I had to stop when I lost my weed eater head the other day, the last is my pile of brush! When I first started there were quite a few water moccasins and other water snakes, the last night I was out there I didn't see a one. Hopeful they stay gone! I stomp on the ground and yell "go away snake" before I start into a thick spot. So far it's working! On the bright side, I've discovered a 12 foot palmetto palm about 8 feet from the pond that is absolutely beautiful, I never even knew it was there.
