Looking for pond advice

Hi everyone, I’ve recently moved and the new to me back yard has a busted old pond made from cement and rock. I’ve resolved to try rehabing it, with my current plan being to extend the pool outwards with shallow areas in case an animal falls in, and pile up dirt behind the waterfall with a simple bog filter (rocks and plants) feeding into the waterfall.
It does have a crack (Marked by some gray caulk in the lower left of image 3), and I’m curious if anyone has any suggestions on how to proceed with it beyond just patching it with more cement.
Images below

Buy the rubber sheet. Life’s too short to worry about when and if someone’s concrete self made won’t Crack again

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I’ve read you can embed pond liner between concrete, and was thinking of incorporating that into the patch, or perhaps I could just cover over the majority of it with a pond liner. It’s just so big that I couldn’t hope to fully destroy and remove it any time soon.
Though, if I covered it over with a rubber liner, that could simplify expanding the pond with some shallow areas around the edge.
I hadn’t considered incorporating one till now, thank you!

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You can use hydraulic grout as an option.

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Hadn’t heard of that before, will definitely take a look

I was tempted to chime in and suggest dynamite when I saw your post, but figured that wasn’t the helpful advice you were seeking. Based on the quoted text, maybe you had just ruled it out already!!

My other thought, slightly more helpful, was wait until October and cooler weather.
Good luck!

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Good point on waiting till it’s cooler, I probably have better things to do right now anyway
As much as I’d love to take the Wile E Coyote approach, I’ll hold off for now

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I agree with @dougemes: with the expansive soil in the DFW area, the ground flexes. Without rebar (and perhaps even with), concrete will tend to crack over time.

Consider an underlayment for the liner to reduce the possibility of punctures. Felt liners are available, but layers of corrugated cardboard can be a cheap alternative. It’ll break down over time but things will settle in gently.

I used old carpet and old linoleum under my liner

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