Here's the situation. I have a bedrock dam across the gulch where a cross ridge has been cut by the gulch. This underground dam has backed up the groundwater, but the surface is above ground. It is on a corner below numerous old gold mines. The gold in the area is very fine. My idea is to excavate a hole near the bedrock dam and to dredge up the gulch from the pond formed by the excavation. There is probably 10 to 20 ft. of overburden lying in the hole. Many very large boulders. I would like to be able to use the gravel I would dredge and to leave a nice pond when I was through. The groundwater fluctuates depending on the moisture we have received over the year. It can be right near the surface or 4 feet down during drought years. So it would be creating a nice fish pond, harvesting the gravel for other projects and washing out the gold I hope to be there. The area is about 200 ft. x 50 ft. Is it feasible and what problems would I encounter? Any ideas?