Repairing natural bottom ponds

We just purchased a home and moved in end of July. There is a nice sized pond in the front, and its getting lower and lower every day, to where at the moment, its more of a dirt hole than a pond. I know the rainfall hasn't been quite good this summer, and with the heat, water does evaporate... but I wouldn't think it would be as it is now. I also see other people with ponds and theirs are still relatively full. We aren't the ones who built this pond, so I am not certain what was done when doing so. To me, it doesn't look like anything special was done other than digging a great big huge hole... I dont see a liner or pump system, or anything like that. We do have some frogs in there, and some pussy willows growing... other than that, maybe a fish or two in there, but we aren't certain. Can anyone tell me if we have a leak somewhere, or if we need to drain what water is left and line it, or what we need to do so we can actually enjoy a full pond at our new house. I know rainfall isn't much for us in Ohio, so, how do others keep theirs full?
Any help I can get would be great! I have tried to google and get answers on my own, but they all talk about turning off a pump, and ours doesn't have one.
Thanks.

Answer:

If you have a natural bottom pond, get some bentonite. It's clay and perfect for sealing natural ponds. If I were you, I would put a liner in it and then refill it. For lots more info about how to do that, see my website at:
• http://www.pondlady.com
• Click on Jan's articles.