Last fall my wife and I purchased 35 acres in central Illinois. We have lots of ideas about what we want to do with the land, but for certain, we want to have a pond.
At this point we are just in the early planning stages trying to figure out what we can do, and possible locations.

I've been reading the forums for several months to get a better idea of what goes into building a pond. As many of the posts recommend, I contacted our local NRCS office. The person I talked to seemed pretty knowledgeable and was very helpful. He provided the topo map that is attached, along with the proposed location image.

The yellow outline is the watershed that the poposed location receives. From his calculations, the watershed is about 6 acres. In our location the recommended ratio is 10 acres of watershed for each acre of surface area. So, the pond is drawn at about 1/2 acre. The NRCS person inidicated that the soils here are "Decent" but he said the builder would definitely need to dig a deep core for the dam, because the soil would be prone to seepage. He also provided a list of contractors that I can start calling on, once we get to that point.

Originally, I had hoped to do something larger, at least an acre. It does look like it would be possible to do some ground work on the north, and west of the outlined watershed, to create a diversion and get 4 or 5 more acres of watershed into the area. This is basically the remaining area in the big clearing that is not in watershed outline. That would get us enough area to support about an acre. It also might be poassible to re-work some of the ground on the south property line to divert even more watershed. I'm open to ideas people may have for ways to support an even larger pond.

You'll notice on the topo map there is a creek that runs through the property, and a flood plain. That is one restriction we have to work with. The pond can't fall in the 100 year flood plain. First, to comply with local regulations, and second, I wouldn't want a bunch of creek fish infesting my pond.

Eventually there will be a drive that follows the southern property line back to the clearing. So, if the pond location moves futher south, or expands to the south, I'll need to leave enough room for a nice big lane that can support heavy equipment.

Some day I envision a machine shed to store all the toys, four wheelers, tractors, snow mobiles, fishing equip.,etc. And a small cabin going up on the edges of that clearing, possibly overlooking the pond.

How about goals for the kind of fish I'd like to have. I've done the least amount of reading on stocking strategy, but it seems like everyone recommends knowing what you want in the pond before you start. I love to fish for catfish, and I love to Bass fish. And Blue Gill are great for the kids. So that would be my big three that I'd like to have if possible... BG, CC, LMB.


I'm going to try to keep this thread updated as I go through this process. The next time I make it out to the property I'll get some pictures of the proposed location and post them as well.

I look forward to eveyrones feedback and advice!

Greeting from a fellow Central Illinoisan! I'm in the Bloomington area and put in a 1/2 acre pond last summer. You will find lots of expertise here that will of great help to you. Myself I now have a full pond and continuing the process of stocking, habitat, etc.

Good Luck!

Congrats on the 35 acres, that's great. Did you consider that longer draw in the woods to the west? It would mean alot of clearing, but it looks like it drains enough to support a larger pond.

Thanks Vamaz- That's an interesting idea. The guy from NRCS didn't mention the draw on that part of the property. My initial thought is that it would be more time consuming and expensive to clear 1-2 acres in that area, than to move dirt on the other part of the property to create a diversion. The woods are pretty thick in that entire area. Although the dam would not be as tall or long I think, so who knows it could be a wash.

I'll be interested to start talking to some contractors to see what options they come up with as well.

Runoff from heavily forested areas doesn't work well. Everything slows the water down. In a real heavy rain, you can get a lot of debris in the pond.

I talked to the NRCS again about the possibility of using the West portion of the lot. This area, outlined in red of the attached topo, does have more watershed. He estimated enough for a little over a 1 acre pond. He was concerned with the possiblity of ponding water over the west property line.

Another thing that came up when I asked about permits is that all of that wooded area is designated as a forested wetland. I'm not exactly sure what that means as far as being a good place for a pond or not, but he said it would most likely require a permit from the Army Corp of Engineers.

Now, I think we're to a point where we need to talk to a couple of pond builders, get their ideas and find out what it's going to cost to do what we want.

As always, any feedback or suggestions are welcome.

Bill G
The second site looks a lot better as far as runoff is concerned. As Dave said when it rains in the woods a lot of the leaves end up in the pond, the percentage of water reaching is pond is less that in a pasture. Not a big deal you just want to know about it before you start.
One of the rules we like to talk about around here is the value of land rule. The two things that make land valuable are trees and water.
With lots of trees on the property you are not hurting yourself.But before any of the trees are cleared you want to make sure the pond will be a good one.

BILL ,what NRCS office did you talk with?? I have been trying to get info through the rushville office for almost 2 mounth with 00 call backs.. THANKS BOB

I called the office in Sangamon County. The person I needed to speak with was not in the office the day I called, but he returned my call the next day. After that initial call we've emailed back and forth several times and he's always been quick to respond and very helpful.

I've found the NRCS isn't very consistent from county to county. One county might have a great extension agent, while the one right next door is useless.

well i found the useless one !!!!!

A few weekends ago, we spent a day clearing some trees to get a driveable path made to the big clearing in the middle of the property. We also mowed down the large 10 acre clearing in the middle. With the 5 foot tall grass gone, it's much easier to picture where the pond would go.

I've attached two pics of the possible location.

Bill,
This looks like a great piece of property, for lots of different outdoor activities. Sounds like building a pond here in Illinois is as complicated as building a house here. More red tape than a hallmark store! Keep them working for you, you pay their salary. Let us know when your ready for fish habitat/structure. We are only a short distance away and would love to help.