Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Southwest Michigan questions

contemplating buying 12 acres spot near Allegan and wonder
1. Are there any good pond contractors nearby
2. can you construct a pond without a permit if the soil is classified wetland soils.

Part of the land is colored National Wetland inventory and part is wetland soils, I want the pond in or near the wetland soils.

Any help would be appreciated

I don't know about the contractor part.

You will need a permit in a wetland area. Google search constructing a pond in MI.

A friend of mine built a pond in a wetland area off of Spring Lake. It took a couple years to get a permit. Back then the permit process went thru the Army Corps of Engineers. MDNR was in charge of it for a while, now it may be the MDEQ.

Make sure you dot all of your i's and cross all of your t's. I heard of one guy that built a pond and the Gestapo claimed he never had a permit. After a lengthy and expensive court battle, the judge ruled in the favor of the pond owner.

If I look on some of those online wetland maps, every ones pond is classified as a wetland. Pretty crazy!

I would start with the local county soil conservation district. They can tell you if it's wetlands or not. If not, they can issue the permit.

My Bad, I read it wrong

You only need a permit in certain circumstances, which includes wetlands. From googling, only the MDEQ (Gestapo) can issue a permit.

Anything that holds enough water and "could" support wildlife is a wetland.

thanks, I think, for the replies.

I'm moving back to plan b ie buy an existing pond or find area not in wetland

You can build a pond near a wetland without a permit, just not in a wetland.

If you like the property, it is worth a bit of investigation.

Sorry for any confusion, but it pays to do your homework.

Michigan has a lot of properties with ponds. I am sure you can find just the right one.