The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) is responsible for permitting and supervising all dams in Arkansas, less those exempted according to Section 701.4 of Subtitle I of Title VII (Rules Governing Design and Operation of Dams) and dams owned by the federal government (US Army Corps of Engineers dams, for example).

A construction and operation permit must be obtained if:

• the height of the proposed dam will be 25 feet or taller
• the dam impounds 50 acre-feet or more at normal pool
• someone files a petition and the ANRC, after investigation and public hearing, agrees that the petitioner’s life or property would be endangered in the event of the dam’s failure regardless of the impoundment or dam’s size

Fees

Application Review Fee: 1% of estimated construction cost of dam or $100.00, whichever is greater, but no more than $1,000.00. A refund will be issued equal to the over-charge in the event that actual construction costs are below estimated costs. Additional application review fees will be charged in the event that final construction costs exceed estimated costs, unless the fee already reached $1,000.00.

Annual Permit Fee: $0.12 per acre-foot, but no less than $25.00, and no more than $10,000.00 per year.

The owner is responsible for routine maintenance of dams (preventing woody vegetation growth, for example) and water control structures. The ANRC will periodically visit to inspect safety and functionality of permitted dams according to their size and hazard rating.

Construction Cost-Share Programs

Ponds built for agricultural purposes (livestock watering, for example) may qualify for cost-share programs through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Contact your local NRCS office to see if your pond would qualify for financial assistance.

What to read next:
– Construction

Additional resources:
– Rules Governing Design and Operation of Dams

There is a big difference between a hole in the ground that holds water and a well-designed purpose-built pond. Check here for a detailed pond construction manual and general construction guidelines appropriate for all ponds. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) publication 590 – Ponds: Planning, Design, Construction is a comprehensive guide to pond construction. With this publication and your own equipment, you can confidently build your own successful pond. Click the image to the left or link at the bottom of this page to download a free copy of the manual. You can also hire experienced engineers to do the work for you. Check with your local county Extension or NRCS office for guidance on local contractors. 

While the technical details are spelled out in the NRCS 590, some general rules-of-thumb are worth mentioning. There is a misconception with some that deeper is better when it comes to pond depth. If your only concern is water storage, this may be true. However, if raising fish is your main goal, deeper water can be actually be a liability. Most Arkansas ponds become thermally stratified during the summer. This prevents cooler, and more dense, water near the bottom of the pond from mixing with warmer, less dense, water near the surface of the pond. Over time, organic matter from fish waste, leaves, limbs, and dead aquatic vegetation accumulate on the pond bottom where they decompose. Decomposition uses oxygen and many Arkansas ponds can become anoxic (lacking oxygen) near the bottom. As the summer progresses, this anoxic zone can get larger and render much of the deep water useless for fish growth. Even worse, in the fall when water temperatures decline and the surface and bottom layers of water mix (often referred to as the turnover), dissolved oxygen that was concentrated near the surface of the pond is now diluted to the entire pond volume and organic material that was once locked near the bottom is released throughout the water column. During this period, the pond can take on a murky appearance and produce a foul odor. This is also a time when fish kills from dangerously low dissolved oxygen and even harmful chemical release from bottom sediments can occur. Turnovers typically clear up in one to two weeks. Deeper water, especially in productive ponds, can increase the severity of turnovers and put fish at risk. For this reason, it is often recommended that Arkansas ponds are built no more than about 12 feet deep. There are exceptions to every rule, and the roles your pond needs to fulfil may make this recommendation unnecessary.

Another rule-of-thumb is to design shape shoreline slopes to approximately 3:1 (one foot deep for every three feet from shore). This angle is fairly resistant to erosion, it is reasonably safe for children and livestock walking the bank, and it helps prevent excessive vegetation growth by minimizing water shallower than about 3 feet.

Keep the dam covered in grass, but mow it frequently enough to suppress woody vegetation growth. Roots from shrubs and especially trees can compromise the clay layers in dams and can lead to leaks. If your dam already has trees thicker than about 6 inches in diameter, it is best to leave them alone.

Have your soil tested by the Extension service during the construction process to see if chemical adjustments are needed. Many ponds in Arkansas are slightly acidic and less productive than they could be as a result of the soil chemistry on which they were built. Agricultural lime is a commonly recommended treatment that is immensely easier to apply properly before the pond fills with water. Check links below for pages and publications with more details on water chemistry treatments.

What to read next:
– Water Chemistry
– Fish Habitat

Additional resources:
– NRCS590 – Ponds: Planning, Design, Construction
– ANRC dam safety, guidelines, forms, and assistance

Like all animals, fish need places to rest, hide, hunt and reproduce. Check here for tips on designing habitat diversity in your pond to support all the species you intend to stock.

Habitat is generally defined as the place where an organism lives, but in fishery discussions the term is usually referring to natural or artificial cover that attracts and concentrates fish.

Fish habitat can literally be anything. Natural vegetation, rock piles, fishing piers, artificial fish attractors purchased from sporting goods stores, even sunken boats and old vehicles can all attract fish. A little imagination and spare construction/plumbing parts can make for a fun project that enhances your fishery. In fact, many state fisheries management agencies are currently evaluating the efficacy of different DIY artificial cover to determine which materials and designs provide the best bang for the buck.

While cover is good, too much can be a problem also. If your pond has vegetation, try to keep less than 20% of the pond’s total area vegetated. If you are placing brush piles, pallet stacks, stake beds, Georgia cubes, commercially available fish attractors, or other DIY cover, focus on making fewer but larger and more complex piles of cover versus several small simple piles. One to two large piles per acre is a good general rule of thumb. While some forms of cover tend to attract certain species, large complex piles tend to attract all species. These piles can be 20 to 30 feet in diameter. Include both large branches or structures with wide open spaces for large fish to swim through, as well as thin branches or structures with tight spaces for small fish to hide in all within the same pile. Depth of the pile can start in as little as about 3 feet of water down to about 8 feet of water, though there are exceptions. To make your piles even more effective, place them near points, in corners or pockets along the bank, on top of submerged islands or humps, and along the edges of drop-offs to deep water.

Keep in mind that while relatively expensive, commercially available fish attracters and DIY cover made of composites and plastics tend to last forever. Far cheaper options in the form of downed trees, cut limbs, saplings, and used Christmas trees, for example, will decompose over time and may require more physical labor or time building and deploying them. The larger the branches, the longer they will last. Christmas trees are known to break-down in about a year and these spots need to be reloaded regularly to maintain their effectiveness.

What to read next:
– Fertilization
– Feeding

Clean, healthy water not only looks nicer, it helps grow healthy fish. Check here for guidance on ways to test your water and soil, and some of the more common water treatment techniques you can perform to improve the productivity of your pond.

and low productivity. Applying agricultural lime (calcium carbonate CaCO3) to your pond neutralizes acidic soil, releases nutrients bound in the soil, stabilizes water pH, and generally leads to a healthier and more productive pond. Ponds with water alkalinity below 20 mg/L typically require at least 2,000 pounds of agricultural lime per acre to make a difference, and 4,000 pounds per acre is probably closer to the actual required amount. For a more accurate estimate of the amount of lime needed to neutralize soil acidity, a soil sample must be collected and sent for analysis. The analysis is free, but you will have to collect the sample and deliver it to a county Extension office yourself. The goal is to get a representative sample of the entire pond bottom, not just what you can reach from the shore. The chemical characteristics of the deep areas of the pond can be substantially different from that of the shallow areas. A sampling tool can be built from a long sturdy pole with a vegetable can firmly attached open-end down to the end of the pole. Take the sampling tool and cross the pond in an “S” pattern collecting 10 can-full’s of soil from all depths of the pond. Next, dump all the samples into one container and allow the soil to completely dry before delivering it to your county Extension office. Label your samples “Fish Pond” and request the lime requirement to bring the soil pH to 6.5, or ask for the lime requirement for growing Alfalfa. The soil pH necessary for healthy Alfalfa growth is very close to what is needed for a healthy pond. Ponds that need lime typically need reapplication about every 4 years or sooner if water turnover is high. It is ok to add more agricultural lime than recommended, it will just extend the time before another application is needed. It is best to spread the agricultural lime along the entire pond bottom and till it into the soil before the pond is filled with water. The next best approach is to spray the lime from a boat or barge platform with a high pressure water hose as the craft is moving around the pond in a grid pattern. Pouring the agricultural lime into the pond from the shoreline is not an effective technique, but it is better than nothing if the previous two methods are not practical. In ponds already full of water, it is best to apply agricultural lime in the fall as temperatures are cooling and plant growth has stopped. Calcium carbonate will bind to phosphorus, the most important aquatic plant nutrient, and temporarily lock it in the pond mud. If this happens during the growing season, water can clear and rooted aquatic plant problems can develop or become worse. Applying the agricultural lime in the fall reduces the chance of disrupting the plant community in the pond. 

What to read next:
– Fertilization
– Feeding

Additional resources:
– SRAC 4100 Liming Ponds for Aquaculture
– SRAC 0464 Interactions of pH, Carbon Dioxide, Alkalinity and Hardness in Fish Ponds
– SRAC 4606 Interpretation of Water Analysis Reports for Fish Culture

Strong fishing ponds begin with good water chemistry and fertile water. While many Arkansas ponds are naturally fertile, you can often boost your pond’s potential with a fertilization program. Check here for guidance and precautions for a successful fertilization program.

Not all ponds need fertilization. In general, if your water visibility (how far into the water you can see) is already less than 36 inches, fertilization may not be a good idea. Over-fertilization can lead to excessive planktonic algae blooms and can even encourage harmful blue-green algae blooms. Fertilization is appropriate for new ponds and for ponds presenting clear water with good alkalinity and hardness (>20 mg/L CaCO3 for both). Fertilization can begin when the water temperature rises above 65ºF in the spring and should be stopped when the water drops back below 65ºF in the fall. It is best to use inorganic fertilizers in ponds because they are less likely to result in oxygen problems and their nutrient content is more definite and adjustable than organic fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers come in powdered, granular and liquid forms. Powdered forms tend to be the easiest to apply by spreading directly into the pond. Granular fertilizers must not be allowed to sink to the bottom or their nutrients will be lost to the mud. Either pre-dissolve granular fertilizers, pour them onto a submerged platform, or cut the bags open and lay them on a submerged platform or at the pond edge so that waves will dissolve and disperse the fertilizer. Liquid fertilizers are concentrated and denser than water so they must be diluted before being applied. Read the product label for specific application instructions. General fertilization rates are below:

What to read next:
– Feeding

Additional resources:
– SRAC 0471 Fertilization of Fish Ponds

Nothing can boost the growth and maximum size of species like bluegill and channel catfish like a regular feeding program, and it’s a load of fun to watch them eat! Check here for details on when, where, what, and how much to feed.

Providing fish feed regularly can have a major impact on the growth of bluegill, channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, and feed-trained largemouth bass. Non feed-trained largemouth bass and other sportfish, such as crappie, that do not eat the feed will benefit indirectly from the larger and more abundant forage fish that do eat the feed. Feeding by hand is acceptable for small ponds, but even this task can be difficult to maintain long-term. Advanced feeding programs may require feeding several times per day, which is even more difficult to do by hand. Automatic feeders, while expensive upfront, make the process much easier. Popular feeder brands include Texas Hunter, Sweeney, Moultrie, and numerous more budget-friendly store-brand options. Feeding can begin when water temperatures warm to over 65°F, or when fish begin responding to feed hand-tossed into the pond, and continue until waters cool to 65°F again in the fall, or when fish stop responding to the feed. Only use floating feed so that you can observe how much is being eaten. Feed no more than can be consumed by your fish in 10 minutes, and do not exceed 15 lbs per acre per day. Fish feed contributes to the pond’s fertility. Even pellets eaten by your fish are not fully digested before they are excreted. Excessive feeding can lead to algae and/or weed problems, or make existing vegetation problems worse. 

What to read next:
– Fish Stocking and Management

Additional resources:
– SRAC 0181 Feeding Catfish in Commercial Ponds
– SRAC 1806 Feed Ingredients and Feeds for Channel Catfish
– SRAC 3001 Feeds and Feeding of Hybrid Striped Bass
– SRAC 5003 Principles of Fish Nutrition