I had a 2 acre pond built in oct 2012, all designed by nrcs and received 50 percent cost share. You do have to meet certain requirements. There main goal is soil conservation and wildlife habitat . They could care less about recreation use. The problem with these programs is there is limited $ available . I first applied in 2011 and was rejected because other projects scored higher in soil conservation and there was limited dollars available. I reapplied in 2012 and was accepted mostly because very few applied due to high grain prices and not wanting to take land out of production. So for me it was a no brainer I got a 2 acre pond for 1/2 price. I'm also planting 1100 trees and bushes this spring around the pond and nrcs pays 90% of the cost. I'm in Iowa and so I have no idea what happens In other states.