I would very much like to build a pond this summer (and luckily my parents will--within certain limits-- fund the project).

There is an overwhelming amount of information available on the internet so I thought I'd ask you guys.

Any advice, important pointers, or pitfalls to be avoided?

I would check your council's regulation on pond building first. Some councils will not allow ponds of a certain depth with out having a fence around it. What type of fish were thinking of keeping in there? You will need a good pond liner unless you are planning to buy a pre-fabricated pond mold. Umm yeah there is a tonne more info but i would check your council regulations first. Inquire to what is the depth a fence is needed and is there a size limitation.

On pond liners-

My family and I discovered (in a very sad way) that cold climate areas (aka, if you have tough winters) should not use those flimsy pond liners. They seriously crack so easily. We had completed all of the construction of our pond, the liner cracked and literally we have to start over from scratch. Concrete is honestly the best way to go when constructing a pond, just make sure you use a good sealer so there is a minimal to zero chance of cracking in the future.

Another thing-

Depth is very very very important. If you live in an area that gets very cold in the winter and depending on what you want to keep, go down from 3-5 feet. The deeper, the better chance of your fish surviving the winter (unless you bring them inside).

Before adding fish to your pond once it's complete wait anywhere from 5 days to a week before adding fish. That way for sure the water is safe.

Cement is good, but expensive. EPDM rubber liner is the most used for ponds. Easy enough to work with and not as expensive as cement.

First rule..NO SHORTCUTS. They cost more in the long run. BTDT. Had to totally re-build the pond the following summer. http://www.whitneysorchard.com/on_whitneys_pond.htm pics of the old pond and the new build.

What do you want the pond for? water plants and goldies? Koi?

How cold does it get in your area of Wyoming? Do you have plans for winter time for the fish?

Depending on what you want the pond to do will depend on what is recommended. I always recommend a bottom drain of some kind. Preferrably one that is part of the filtration. A settlement tank that is big enough that the big solids will sink out of the water. Filters that are adequate and easy to clean. There is lots of DIY filters out on the net. Some work ok, some work great.

Koi..absolute minimum of 1000 gallons and then only a few (2 or 3) koi. Koi are big fish and like lots of water. Good to have 500/gallons per fish, don't try to go over 250/gallons per fish. My pond is stocked around 400 gallons/fish.

Goldie ponds are more flexible, but again filtration is vital and making it easy to clean is too. If it isn't easy to clean it won't get done.

Ask questions, put up diagrams of what you want for the pond and filters and then ask more questions.

Straight sides to the bottom are best as it gives no place for predators to fish from on a shelf. Deeper is better both for water temperatures summer and winter and again to discourage predators. Hard for a heron to stand in water that is 4' deep or better.

I live in Wyoming, which is a place with very very few rules. However, my parents are very concerned about a child getting into the pond (even though we have a nine foot tall fence around our yard and the depth of the pond is about half as deep as the only child in our neighborhood). I will find out about the rules and thank you for bringing them up (I wouldn't have even thought of it).