Pond building, excavation and digging round out the land work we do around Bertram, TX. A pond changes how a property works, whether it’s a quiet fishing pond, a livestock tank or a larger basin to catch and hold runoff.
We work with ranchers, farmers, rural landowners and developers on ponds that hold up in the harsh Central Texas climate and work with the natural lay of the land instead of against it. That means proper slope, compacted soil, planned inflow and outflow, and an eye on how the pond holds up for years. Every pond starts with an owner walking the site with you before anything is dug.
We don’t dig a hole and hope
A pond only works if it fills and holds. Before recommending a spot or a size, we look at the soil, where runoff comes from and how much rain the site can expect.
Ground changes fast here. Rocky or loose soil needs the right compaction and sealing techniques, and a site that looks perfect on a map can drain right through. That’s why the site is evaluated in person, by an owner, before anything gets dug.
Soil composition, nearby runoff sources and expected rainfall all go into the recommendation. If a spot won’t work, we’ll tell you and show you where water will actually collect.
What goes into building one
Most pond jobs run through the same steps, scaled to your land and budget.
- Site selection and layout
- Excavation and digging to the right depth and shape
- Grading and compaction to prevent leaks
- Spillway and overflow channel
- Inlet and outlet pipe and culvert planning
Stock tanks and old pond cleanouts
Need a stock tank for cattle that won’t dry out? We’ll size it to your herd, your land and the water you can catch.
Cattle need water they can get to without tearing up the dam, so the approach to the water gets planned along with the basin. A well-built tank is one of the most useful things you can add to a pasture.
Older tanks silt in and lose capacity. We clean out and reshape existing ponds so they hold more water again, and fix the overflow while we’re there. A tank that has been leaking or washing over its dam is often a better candidate for rework than a brand-new dig.
Stock tanks also do double duty. A tank that waters cattle also draws deer, turkey and other wildlife, so it can be part of a wildlife plan as much as a grazing one.
Spillways, overflow and drainage
Central Texas rain comes in bursts, and a pond needs somewhere to send the extra. A spillway and overflow channel carry heavy runoff past the dam instead of over the top of it, which is what keeps a dam from washing out.
Where water needs to come in or go out through a pipe, we plan the inlet and outlet and any culverts with it. Drainage around the pond gets shaped at the same time so runoff reaches the water clean instead of cutting gullies on the way.
That planning is part of the walk-through, so you know how the pond will handle a big storm before the first bucket of dirt moves.
Clearing, access and the area around it
Pond work rarely stands alone. We can clear the site and the shoreline first, shape the ground around the pond, and help with road access and grading so you can reach it in a truck.
Because we also do the clearing, mulching and road work, one crew can take the project from brush to finished water without handing it off.
Mulching the brush around a new pond instead of scraping it bare also keeps the ground covered, which means less soil washing into the water and a pond that stays deeper longer.
What the job can include
- Pond and stock tank building
- Pond cleanout and reshaping
- Excavation and digging
- Grading and compaction
- Spillway and overflow work
- Drainage and water management
- Site and shoreline clearing
- Road access and grading to the pond