I'm looking into buying an old farmstead...can a fella just dig a pond for his livestock, or do I need to jump through some hoops? then bend over backwards, then forwards...no trout streams close by...thx

You can dig a pond less than a quarter/acre no permits, local zoning may be different.

Digging a pond for livestock is called a stock dam.
The answer to your question is a bit complicated after Obama unleashed on landowners and tried making puddles in your driveway wetlands. There are programs where partial payment or full payment for water construction by USDA or Fish and Wildlife is available, but there are regulations in they can not be destroyed and USFW likes to think they own the thing.
It all depends in I have dug several "ponds" and I never contacted anyone as I am in a remote area, and all the farmers and stockmen who did the same thing just got a payloader or an earthmover and dug a dam. I have made Texas tanks in digging down some sloughs for waterfowl and wildlife, so they hold water better. None of these are waterways though, which if you start damming up those you will probably get some state employee's attention, as Wisconsin like Minnesota likes sticking their noses into private activities. Each state is different.
I can give you an example of this moron who lived around here decided to cut through a river channel of an oxbow. I thought that would get him into real trouble, but no one paid the least attention to him. Fools get by with lots of things. I would though at least do a search online and see if Wisconsin has any regulations on it, as it is kind of hard to hide a pond once one appears.

I was thinking 2-3 acres...maybe a little bigger

Start with the DNR

would rather avoid Gov help if I can...just looking for input

How close are you to any navigable waterways? Or wetlands, floodplain?

I live on a canal that leads to a very large lake and river. I planning on excavating a boat slip. I’ve applied for a permit with the DNR. Which most likely will lead to @ least 1, if not 2 more from them. Then @ least 1 from the Army Corp of Engineers and 1 from the County and 1 from the township.

Follow the questionnaire at the bottom of this page and see if you even need to ask for permission.

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/waterways/construction/ponds.html

it took me 7 months to get permit for dive way 300 feet long they said it was wet land if you say its a farm the rules are different wish I would have known this

this helps, thank much!

It is advisable that you at least start with NRCS at the local office in Medford. They will let you know the do's and don'ts of digging a pond. A 2-3 acre pond is quite large for livestock. Presuming the livestock you're planning for are cattle, they require a significant infrastructure when starting from scratch.

Over the years, the folks who "avoided gov't" and went ahead with digging projects, more often than not violated state or federal prohibitions and got their hand slapped pretty good. Just sayin...

DO NOT contact DNR Or NRCS.
Contact township that you are located in.
They usually will have a permit thats required.
Get that permit and your USUALLY OK to go.

You'll have to feel it out.

Alot depends upon where you are. More rural easy, near high population centers you'll have trouble.

The DNR has lots of rules for where you can dig.

I had bought 55 acres that had a very small creek flow thru it and it boarded a river on one side.
I asked DNR about building a pond in the low area close to the river. If I remember right the number was 500 ft, I could not dig closer than 500 ft to the river. Its interesting in that the area was a cornfield at the time. So it was regularly plowed.
I asked about the reasoning for the 500 ft, to prevent erosion into the river. The farmer could regular expose fresh dirt to as close as he wanted to the river but I couldn't make a pond, plant native grasses and improve the area for wildlife while disturbing the ground within 500 ft of the river one time only. Seems kinda opposite of what the DNR would want.

Also the small creek that could be stepped over flowed into this river. I needed to cross that creek to get to the building site.
I was warned not to involve DNR as that occasionally will get Army Corps of Eng. involved. Navigable waterway restrictions. I was told to get a culvert, put it in where I wanted and not say anything to anyone. This is pretty much standard operating procedure for farmers/landowners in this situation when by law there all kinds of rules the Feds have about making bridges/stream crossings.

I ultimately had to walk away from the property as the township got too restrictive on where I could build on the property.

Just be aware that the bigger the gov't body you talk to the more rules and regulations there are.

I disagree with this. Most townships in Wisconsin have no ordinance concerning pond construction, and have no authority whatsoever concerning a navigable waterway. You will most likely be looking at county, DNR and more for permits.

Zim

Very True stuff.

I'm retired NRCS (SCS) soil & water conservationist. Over the 32+ years in the field throughout WI, I observed ( and was called in on ) enough situations where landowners began digging without talking to anyone and ended up violating state ( and sometimes federal ) statutes. As has been stated, townships usually don't have any ordinances pertaining to digging ponds, etc., as they would rather leave this to others. I worked with several DNR Water Regs in my work, also the COE.

I covered 16 field offices and 22 counties, including where you are, so I know your neighborhood fairly well.

FWIW, it is working smarter to check in with county zoning and/or DNR before you begin your project - to make sure your plans are not considered a violation. It's much easier to find out in advance of any digging, than to learn you're in violation. When we would get asked by a landowner in advance and there were no potential issues, then go for it. Once a violation occurred and we were called in, the landowner had very few realistic options by that time.

This is not meant in a negative manner......"ignorance is no excuse". We all know this as outdoorsmen, trappers, hunters, etc.

Just speaking from experience..

Vic

do not contact any govt agency - just dig it where you want it. If they don't like it, they will tell you

seriously, though, call it a farm and run cows through it and you will qualify for an ag exemption for a 404 permit through USACE

Ok.....in MO there may be very few restrictions. Last time I looked, the OP is in Taylor County, WI.

If you violate any state/federal statutes in WI, you will likely be required to fully restore (at your expense) the violation site to previous conditions. This usually does not involve a fine, but can.

As a potential agricultural producer, you may desire future financial assistance from USDA (drought assistance, grazing assistance, crop insurance, etc.). IF you are in violation of federal statutes (example : Swampbuster Violation ), your "shopping list" will be very short.

Enough said......

If one thinks that they can do this sort of thing without going through the proper channels is only fooling themselves. Both the DNR and the Corps of Engs. regularly use satellite images to monitor these changes and activities. And if caught. The fines can be significant.

Example; A close friend of mine want to add a culvert in a small spring seep in order to get his compact tractor on the other side of his property. He went to the DNR office to see about obtaining a permit. So the pulled up sat. images and asked why there were 3 wood planks crossing the creek? He said that they were put there when building the barb wire fence only 1 week prior. They showed him how they can overlay images from day to day, one if needed. By the way; he received a fine for not getting a permit to build a bridge. Which consisted of those 3 boards.

Great advice, from someone that won't have to pay for the consequences if done wrong. The days of hiding something like that are long gone.