Tim,
Howdy neighbor. I'd like to provide you with another data point...perhaps with the same NRCS office.
When I was considering the decision to build a large pond behind our house, I knew it was not the optimum location from a watershed standpoint, but the location was important for other reasons.
I talked to several local people, including a local pond builder and looked at other ponds. I decided to build the 4 acre pond with only about 3 acres of watershed. After making the decision, I decided to ask the NRCS for advice. They did come out to the site, shot grade, and told me the pond would never fill up and even if it did, it would never stay full. That was about 5 years ago.
I built the pond, it filled that winter and stayed spillway full for about four years until the recent Texas drought. It is now about 2 or maybe approaching 3 feet down now....but so is just about everyone else's pond in this area. I have not regretted the decision one second....maybe I was lucky or maybe not.
The NRCS fellow used his text book tables to provide his advice. His textbook said I needed way more watershed...other ponds in my area I noticed didn't require the amount of watershed his textbook recommended.
I offer this experience to say do your homework and don't rely exclusively on any one source. The NRCS is a source of information and doesn't necessarily have all the answers.
My personal belief, apart from the advice the NRCS provides, is that I would never take money from NRCS or any Government agency in return for accepting their "strings" attached to my property....but that is just my personal feelings about the matter. Heck, I don't even like the idea of Government inspections of my land for assesing the agricultural exemption, but understand that it is necessary.
If you would like to view that pond, go the link below:
http://www.meadowlarkponds.com/nova.htm
