Thanks, that's one of the numbers I called (for Area 1, since I live in Forsyth County). I called Friday around 2:30pm, a lady put me through to whoever she thought I needed, but it went to voicemail. I left a message, and as of today (Monday) at 3:15pm, I have not heard anything. I might just drive around and talk to some pond owners in the area and see what they did. From everything I've read, if the pond isn't going to affect a stream, public water, or wetland.... and if the dam is less than 25' tall and won't affect anyone's property if it were to fail, I don't need a permit. Someone else posted on here from NC, and said that if its less than an acre, you don't need a permit either (but that was a post from 2014).
I think you have put sufficient effort into obtaining information, permit, I would at this point go ahead and build the pond, they obviously are not paying much attention. if they show up tell them you tried to get ahold of them by calling and no success so you tried a different avenue.
A big thing I would add in that case would be a water line thru the base of the dam, whether you need it or not, that makes it a livestock watering pond, they are way more lenient, around here for farmers needing water sources for cattle then just calling it a recreational pond, farmers can get by with anything.
Its much easier to ask forgiveness then permission sometimes.
