Does anyone have any experience building a pond and dealing with permits in Wisconsin? I have a small seasonal type wetland that appears to have been made a long time ago when a beaver made a big dam across an area that has a small amount of flowing water in the spring. The old dam is rotten and now has 20 foot tall trees growing on it, but it's clear that the area was dry prior to that judging by the dead standing timber in that area. This area holds water for part of the year and typically dries out in late summer. I would like to dig this area out to make a duck pond maybe 1/4 to 1/2 acre in size. It would be easy to put the removed soil into my nearby field. I'm just wondering how much of a pain in the butt the permit process will be.
building a pond in Wisconsin
- Thread starter Ben.MN/WI
- Start date
Jim Timber
5 year old buck +
My county wetland coordinator said as long as it's documented it's man-made (site inspection report done prior to construction) and no more than 6' deep - no permits were needed.
That's MN though. Are WI regs that different?
That's MN though. Are WI regs that different?
wiscwhip
5 year old buck +
I would have to say I agree with NoFo on this, if you are going to do it, check with the county/state first. If permits are needed and you don't get them, you could stand to lose a LOT of money and that will cut into your ability to pay for other habitat projects, possibly for quite a while. The DNR and US Army Corps of Engineers don't play around when it comes to this stuff.
2ndHand
5 year old buck +
- I did have the USFWS (Madison office) tour my property for habitat improvement suggestions when I purchased it and show them where the pond would be built after clear cutting a three acre Black Locust grove. The two contractors I used were referred to me by a DNR Forrester. In my case no one indicated a permit or inspection was required for my location.
wiscwhip
5 year old buck +
No, but you had them look at it and if there were any requirements they would have informed you at the time. This is what I meant by "getting them involved", not every situation requires permits, but some do and in other situations they will deny it outright in certain areas.
wiscwhip
5 year old buck +
With the way they drain and fill in wet areas in MN, I'd think they would welcome anyone who wanted to go the "other way". I'm sure the Federal rules are the same, but the State rules most likely vary greatly. The WI DNR and the water conservation folks over here about about as anal as it get when it comes to this kind of thing.
We went thru the permit system about 20 years ago in SE with our pond. It was a pain, first they were not going to let us dig ours because the neighbor dug a pond within 300 feet of ours( without a permit). Then we had to give them plans, required 3: 1 side slopes, and had to all be seeded with a certain mix. We also could not build it if there were wetland plants there. I don't think it will be nearly as bad in Rusk County. I think if you just want a duck pond and not a fish pond, it will be a lot easier. You might even get share cost, the dnr paid our neighbor to have a small scrape put in. It could only be like 2 ft deep, looks like crap, but the ducks do like it. Nov's right , my boss hunts in Raddison and they pushed about 2 acres of tags into a wetland area. The army corps of engineers caught them and they had to fix it all back and replant the area. I have one tip when you have them dig your pond. The contractor should strip the topsoil and keep that separate from the sand/ clay from the pond. I wouldn't just dump that in your field it will be bad soil. If you have a lowspot in you field, strip that first, dump crappy fill, and respreads your topsoil on top. You can always loose topsoil. Its getting rid of clay,sand, silt that's the problem.
Thanks for the info. I looked on the WI GIS and the spot I would like to build a pond is considered a wetland. It's primarily reed canary grass with a seasonal wetland in the center that was created when a beaver build a dam there decades ago. I'll talk to the county and see what's needed. I wouldn't consider doing anything without permits here because the work would be done in an area that can be seen from the road. I'm primarily looking for a duck hunting pond since I would like my kids to have a good waterfowl hunting spot when they get older. This specific location is only about 100 yards from our cabin and it isn't good for much except an occasional grouse or rabbit. There are lots of waterfowl in the neighborhood, but none on my land (at least in the fall). If I could build a decent waterfowl spot for a couple grand, it would be worth it to me.
I like the plan separating the topsoil from the subsoil. A contractor I used when I built my cabin didn't do that and now I have one spot by my cabin that looks like a barren desert. I guess I assumed they know that topsoil goes on top and sand goes on bottom, but they did not.
I'll let you know what I come up with, thanks for the feedback
I like the plan separating the topsoil from the subsoil. A contractor I used when I built my cabin didn't do that and now I have one spot by my cabin that looks like a barren desert. I guess I assumed they know that topsoil goes on top and sand goes on bottom, but they did not.
I'll let you know what I come up with, thanks for the feedback
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
john volkman
5 year old buck +
i had FWS help with building a 7 acre wetland on my property primarily for duck hunting/waterfowl habitat. my out of pocket expenses were about $1500 and that was because i enhanced it even beyond what was needed. The program was partners for wildlife thru FWS and it was a good experience. FWS pIcked up about $5K worth of expenses and helped with design , making sure contractors did it correctly etc.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I had something similar done under the same program if my memory is correct. That was 25 years ago. My cost was zero.l These were two dykes put in as wetland restoration.
At the same time I also dug two ponds out of pocket. One more has been added since and also two water holes.
Did they allow you to do this in a existing wetland? At work we are not allowed to touch anything that is a wetland. I know they don't won't shallow wetlands turned into deep ponds.
john volkman
5 year old buck +
what they did was block a ditch that the farmer had made years ago, so the area was technically a wetland (all canary grass no water). The deepest spot in the newly created wetland is nay about 5ft with most of it under 3ft. I wanted it to attract waterfowl, which it has done very well.
john volkman
5 year old buck +
