A Hole To A Pond

I have a giant hole on my property dug by the previous owner, it's about 115ft x 70ft and maybe 9ft deep. The problem is that they dug it on a hill so the 3-4ft of water that does accumulate in it only lasts for a couple months before it's dry again. I would like to turn this into a year around pond, I've looked into a pond liner but I don't have over $3,000 to spend on this project. Does anyone have any suggestions that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

Hello Matt! Welcome to permies!

There are many ways that you can make a pond without paying an arm and a leg!

For example, you can gley a pond with pigs. Or you can plant plants that ducks like around the pond, and get ducks to seal the pond for you, like how Geoff Lawton is fixing his own leaky pond.

This link explains what gleying is and how to do it yourself if you do not have any animals to help you out right now. In essence, gleying is the creation of an anaerobic seal on the bottom of a pond through anaerobic decomposition.