government grants for digging a pond?

GoatsRus · #1 03/10/08, 08:45 AM

Has anyone heard of the government paying a portion of the expenses to have a pond dug on your property? Possible wildlife habitation ramifications etc... I had thought I heard the govt will fund part of the project due helping the wildlife but not sure if I dreamt it or what. Any know?

Cheribelle · #2 03/10/08, 08:51 AM

Ask at your county extension office. Around here there used to be a program, something to do with controlling run-off, but I don't know any more. Oh, and I'm pretty sure you had to have it fenced off from your cattle, but could put a hyrant in the lower end of the ---- to use for animal water.

gnat · #3 03/10/08, 08:51 AM

I'll probly be banned for this but my guess would be you dreamed it, sounds like a wet dream fer sure.

Jay · #4 03/10/08, 08:56 AM

Yes, but an 'engineer' will come out and study your land. He tells you where to put it, how deep, etc etc

It's not so much of: "I was thinking here would benefit me/the land most"....they say "no, over HERE is where it goes..."
They are paying for most of it...so what they say goes. Don't think you can 'back out' once they have put money, and people on the job. (Unless you want to re-imburse them for their 'time and effort'.)

Of course, most anything with the government involved has to be over-analyzed, over done, and usually not cost-efficient.
Joel Salatin talks about this in one of his books....You Can Farm, I think.
Check into it...but I am sure there are lots of 'hoops' and paperwork that goes with it.

mwhit · #5 03/10/08, 08:58 AM

I know here in NY if you reclaim (restore) a wetland you get a property tax break, but I don't think anyone pays for the work. I find it strange and rather depressing that you'd expect tax payers to build you a pond-- seems like if you want a pond you could hire a heavy equipment operator for a day or two and make one. JMO.

Michelle

minnikin1 · #6 03/10/08, 09:08 AM

No, not a dream. Call you soil and water district office. In an effort to restore wildlife habitat areas, they will cost-share. You do have to maintain it in a manner that will benefit wildlife - and if you have a park-like setting in mind, this may not be what you want. But you could check.

Cabin Fever · #7 03/10/08, 09:15 AM

What you want to look into are "replacement wetlands." When ever development occurs that results in filling a wetland (shopping center, road, business, parking lot, etc), the developer is required to "replace" the wetland somewhere else. The replacement wetland generally has to be twice to four times larger than the one that was filled in. Often the developer will pay big money to a landowner to build the replacement wetland on his property to fulfill this obligation.

Do some web engine searches on the terms "wetland mitigation" and "wetland banking."

GoatsRus · #8 03/10/08, 09:55 AM

Mwhit- what can I say, there is ALWAYS one in the bunch.

Thanks to everyone else. We have several acres of property that is in a flood plan and therefore, unusable, which is fine with me. I like the wildlife we have around us and want it to continue. We currently have goats, but are thinking seriously about getting out of the goat business (such as it is). We have a branch of a river flowing between our homestead and the afore mentioned flood area. I would like nothing better than to turn the pasture area into a large pond that would drain into the river. I'd also like to stock the pond with native fish. After I posted, I did some searching and found a TN landowner incentive program and a wildlife habitiat incentive program. I'll need to contact the local USDA service center in town.

Rowdy · #9 03/10/08, 10:06 AM

I've dug several government paid for tanks around here, and it was through county extenstion office/soild and water conservation that people got them paid for. All of them I dug were basic round tanks with a dam, 18ft deep if I remember right.

MELOC · #10 03/10/08, 10:11 AM

i thought about having a pond someday, but i really don't like the new regulations that claim every waterway and body of water as jurisdiction of the gov't. or whatever...you know what i mean.

Nette · #11 03/10/08, 11:01 AM

Look here:

http://www.tn.nrcs.usda.gov/

texican · #12 03/10/08, 11:14 AM

It's true. Here in Tx, the USDA folks pay a percentage (not sure how much)... they send out an engineer, do a study, and get started. I bypassed the process, because of a limitation on how many acre feet could be impounded. I sorta think I might have went over the limit a wee bit. That, and I didn't want my reservoir being beholden to the government... I'd sure as heck for there to be a drought, and Uncle Sammy decide that all the poor disadvantaged (grasshoppers) people should come out and fill their buckets with my water.

treasureacres · #13 03/10/08, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwhit

I know here in NY if you reclaim (restore) a wetland you get a property tax break, but I don't think anyone pays for the work. I find it strange and rather depressing that you'd expect tax payers to build you a pond-- seems like if you want a pond you could hire a heavy equipment operator for a day or two and make one. JMO.

Michelle

I would much rather see a small farmer/homesteader take advantage of programs that already exist than some corporate farm. These programs are there, they have the money that will get spent anyway, so I hope you find one!

Sand Flat Bob · #14 03/10/08, 01:33 PM

Suggest you contact your local land fill. I know that there are places that the Land fill will come out and dig a very deep pond about anywhere you want, but they get all the soil,they haul to the landfill to use for covering garbage. All you get out of it is a big hole, but it doesn't cost you anything and there are no future requirements like dealing with the Ag. Dept which always have lots of strings attached.

Bob

Karenrbw · #15 03/10/08, 01:49 PM

We have a program where you can get a grant to build a pond if you let them put a fire hydrant on the pond bank. Not really a big deal if you live like we do and are 1/2 mile from the nearest neighbors. We know if they are going to use our pond to fight a fire, it will be our fire.

Lowers your insurance rates too.

Old Vet · #16 03/10/08, 03:22 PM

There are severial programs out their. Be sure you read the fine print and can abide by the rules or the Gov will own your land.

morrowsmowers · #17 03/10/08, 03:49 PM

My DW has an aunt that owns about 15 acres near us. When they bought it, it had a swampy section. The Army Corp. of Engineers dug it out and made a lake. They have since maintained and enjoyed that lake, it is even fed into from a stocked fishing pond so friends and family get to fish and swim in her lake.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

Beeman · #18 03/10/08, 04:18 PM

More of the self sufficient, get government out of our lives, country living independance this nation was founded on!

**Terri** · #19 03/10/08, 06:17 PM

I have heard of it, but don't you have to allow people to come in and fish?

The extension service would know: some states list the phone number under the state universities and some under government offices.