When you do something for the first time, you don't know what questions to ask. Unfortunately, the people who do the work think everyone knows what is going on. Even if they explain what's needed that doesn't mean they will explain it well. This goes for every area from major medical to home improvement. I extend my sympathy to you and your family.

Your photos do not show the entire yard, so I do not know if you are moving the pool to a level part of the yard, but I am urging you to make sure the pool has a firm and supported footing, otherwise you may find the problem recurring. A gallon of water weighs 8.345 lbs; a cubic ft of water weighs 62.428 lbs. Your filled pool weighs between 154,000 and 192,000 lbs. Check my arithmetic: 14 x 14 = 196 x 3.1416 (pi) = 615.754 square ft round pool surface x 5 ft. depth = 3078 cubic ft. 3078 x 62.428 lbs/cubic gal = 192,160 lbs. If you have no level area of your yard you may need to pour a cement half-circle foundation to hold the soil in place on the downhill side of your pool. Failure to provide a solid foundation can result in your pool wall failing. The resultant flood could severely damage downhill properties and you would be liable for that. Make sure your homeowner's policy would cover such a disaster. I'm sorry to sound so sky-is-falling.

As to what to do with the uphill side, a retaining wall is the only fix. The slope is too severe for stabilization with plants. The dry-stack, solid wall block found at home stores is 11 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches tall. It is not intended for walls taller than 3 ft; that would be 9 courses. The hollow-core blocks are 18 inches wide and 6 inches tall. These are better for taller walls, but all retaining walls require gravel backfill and possibly drainage pipe at the base. Most cities require the involvement of an engineer to construct walls 5 ft or taller.

Thanks for your response. The pool installer is coming tomorrow to drain the pool and take it down. The area we're moving the pool to is relatively flat. Not perfectly, but close. However, he told us repeatedly he'll need to build it up a little bit to make it level and not to expect it on the ground. I'm very worried about recurrence. This pool would clearly collapse if given another month to do so. :(

Is this a new pool contractor? DO NOT give another cent to the guy who made the first mistake. Find someone who knows what they are doing with the way earth responds to gravity and water, or you are just throwing good money after bad. You need to pan out and show the whole yard, new pool location and how hill relates to rest of yard.

Thanks, everyone. We ended up buying a Radiant pool from a different retailer, which can go partially (or completely) in the ground and act as our retaining wall. The new pool installer came out, took one look at the place, and said, "Paul Hanselman?" The installer who left us this mess. Unfortunately, he's widely used around here. Now we're just taking a deep breath and trying to get some money back from somebody. We're out $4,800 from this experience. One note on the retaining wall, it was going to be 50" tall and more than 20' long. Where we live, that means it must have an engineer by code, hence the expense.

Plus the excavation and heavy equipment required in the tight space between the pool and the hill, just to fit a retaining wall and a worker in there in the first place...