Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Bastrop, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Bastrop County and Central Texas.
Ponds and stock tanks in the Lost Pines around Bastrop. Sand on top, clay underneath, and we dig down to the part that holds water. This is dirt work, not landscaping.
No two places drain the same, so no two ponds get built the same. We walk it, price it, and you know the number before we start.
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Permits and Rules for a Pond in Bastrop County
Most Bastrop County ponds need no permit. A landowner can impound water for livestock and domestic use on their own property without a water right, and the tanks we build sit well below the size where TCEQ dam safety regulation applies. If a project is getting close to that we will tell you rather than let you find out later.
The Colorado River runs through this county and it has substantial mapped floodplain along it. If your site is in a flood hazard area you are looking at a development permit from the county before earthwork. Bastrop County is in the Colorado basin so LCRA may have an interest in work close to the river.
The other Bastrop specific item is fire. After the Lost Pines fires there is more attention on defensible space and water availability, and a pond is genuinely useful for that. Worth mentioning to your insurer.
Ag and wildlife valuation is handled by the Bastrop Central Appraisal District. Get their documentation requirements before you build if the pond is part of your plan.
Ponds in the Lost Pines Around Bastrop
Bastrop is sand and pine, which makes it different from anywhere else we work. The Lost Pines soil digs easy, and easy digging means fewer machine hours and a price that lands at the bottom of the range rather than the top. That part is good news.
The part that catches people out is that loose sand will not hold water on its own. Below it, on most Bastrop County property, there is clay, and finding that clay is the job. We dig down until we are into material that will seal, then we build the pond bottom and the banks out of it. Where the clay is deep, the pond ends up deeper than you might have planned. Where it is shallow, the job is easy.
The Colorado River runs through the county and there is a lot of good bottomland acreage along it. Away from the river, out toward Paige and Rosanky and up 95, the country is sandier and more broken by post oak. Both build fine, they just build differently.
Sandy banks also need a flatter slope than clay banks do, or they slough in over the first couple of years and the pond gets shallower than it should be. We build Bastrop County banks at four to one or flatter for that reason. It costs a little more dirt movement and it saves you a cleanout down the road.
What We Build Around Bastrop
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Bastrop area. Quarter acre stock tanks up to multi acre lakes, plus expansions and cleanouts on ponds you already have.
Stock Tanks & Ranch Ponds
Stock water that lasts a dry summer. Sized to your watershed and dug into the material that will actually seal.
Lake Excavation
Two acres and up where the drainage supports it. Built in lifts and keyed in like any dam that has to last.
Pond Cleanout & Rehab
Shallow, muddy or leaking. We clean it out, fix what the last outfit got wrong, and put the depth back.
What a Good Pond Does for a Place Out Here
On rural acreage a pond does work before it does anything decorative. It is stock water, it is fire water, it is wildlife habitat, and it is rainfall that stays on your side of the fence. It also happens to be the thing every buyer walks straight toward.
Key Benefits Include:
- Reliable stock water in a dry year
- Water on hand for fire
- Habitat for deer, dove and turkey
- Runoff kept where it fell
- Fishing and swimming close to home
- A real bump in resale value
How We Build a Pond That Holds
Four steps, and none of them get skipped to save a day.
Test Holes
A machine goes in the ground in several spots before anything else happens. We are looking for soil depth and clay, and we are looking for rock.
Sizing It to the Watershed
How much country drains into the spot decides how big the pond can be and how big the spillway has to be. We measure instead of guessing.
Digging and Building the Dam
The dirt from the hole becomes the dam. It gets keyed into solid ground and placed in compacted lifts at the right moisture.
Shaping and Cleanup
Banks graded to a slope that will hold, spillway cut to grade, and the site left clean.
What a Pond Costs Around Bastrop
| Pond Size | Starting Price | Build Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 acre | from $14,000 | 2 to 3 days |
| 1/2 acre | from $23,000 | 3 to 4 days |
| 1 acre | from $33,500 | 5 to 6 days |
| 2 acre | from $50,000 | 9 to 11 days |
Every size in between, plus what rock, haul distance and access do to the number, is on our Texas pond cost page.
Pond Cost Calculator
Slide in the size, depth and bank slope you have in mind and see roughly how much dirt has to move and what that runs. Works for anything up to 2 acres.
See our full Texas pond cost guide for what drives the price and how the ground changes it.
3:1 is the steepest bank and moves the least dirt. 5:1 is a gentle wade-in bank, easier on cattle and safer around kids, but it takes more digging to get the same water.
- Average depth0 ft
- Water it holds0
- Rate per yard$0
This is an estimator, not a quote. It figures the dirt you would move for a bowl shaped pond at the size, depth and bank slope you picked. What you actually pay depends on whether we hit rock, what shape the ground is in, how far we have to haul spoil, and whether the spot needs clearing first. Rock is the big one. If we run into granite or solid limestone we have to bring a hammer out and that gets billed by the day. Call us and we will come walk it.
Why Folks Around Bastrop Call Us
We Look Before We Bid
Soil depth, clay content, drainage and access. All four get checked on the walk through, not assumed.
Built to Hold Water
A key trench, compacted lifts and a properly cut spillway. That is what separates a pond from a hole.
Dozers and Excavators
That is what we run and that is what pond work takes. No rented surprises showing up on your place.
Hammer Work Priced by the Day
Nobody can honestly quote breaking rock they have not touched. We charge for the time it takes and no more.
Pricing You Can See
Starting prices are published on the site. The firm number comes after we have seen your ground.
We Finish and Clean Up
Banks graded, spillway cut, and the place left ready to seed when the equipment pulls off.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Bastrop County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Bastrop, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Bastrop, TX
1/5-Acre Pond Expansion - Elgin, TX - 1 Day
1/4-Acre Custom Pond - Burnet, TX - 4 Days
What Our Customers Say
★★★★★
“This is the second time using this company. And always quick responses and follow through! Their quality of work is the best in the industry. I’ve reached out to other companies before and usually slow to respond and set a date to come look at the property for a project and no show. That is something you won’t have to worry about by going with Texas Grading.”
Sean Chandler
★★★★★
“Worked with me to get my pond exactly how I wanted it. Taylor communicated well and was willing to cut me a fair deal when things weren’t exactly as expected. Jonathon is an ace with the dozer. The man can move some dirt like icing on a cake. Well done gentlemen!”
Dennis Pacl
★★★★★
“What a great experience. This company was prompt, and right on budget. They made a pond/tank for me on my ranch. The owner and his team were very professional.”
Glenn Gonzales
★★★★★
“These guys are the best! Hands down, if you need any land clearing or ponds done on your property, do yourself a favor and call Taylor!”
David Williams
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a pond hold water in sandy Bastrop soil?
Not in the sand itself, but there is clay under it on most properties. We dig down to it and build the pond in that material. Test holes tell us how deep we have to go before we quote.
Does the sand make the pond cheaper or more expensive?
Digging is cheaper because there is no rock and no hammer. It can get more expensive if the clay is deep and we have to move more material to reach it. Usually Bastrop jobs land at the lower end.
Why do you build the banks flatter here?
Because sandy banks slough. A steep bank in sand caves in over a couple of years and fills the pond back up with the material you paid to remove. Four to one or flatter holds its shape.
Can you build a pond on land that burned?
Yes. We have worked burned over ground in the Lost Pines. If there is standing dead timber on the footprint we can take it out as part of the job.
Do you need a permit near the Colorado River?
If your site is in the mapped floodplain, that changes what is allowed. Away from the river most stock tanks on private land do not need one. We will look at it with you.
More on Pond Building
- Stock Tank Construction What a working stock tank costs, how deep it needs to be and where to put it.
- Pond Dams and Repair Key trenches, compacted lifts and spillways sized for real runoff.
- Pond Cleanout and Dredging Getting the silt out of a tank that has filled in and quit holding depth.
- Pond Repair Why a pond leaks, and what it takes to fix one that will not hold.
- Lake Excavation Bigger water, and what the watershed has to support to keep one full.
- Pond Permits in Texas When you need one, when you do not, and who to ask.
- How Deep Should a Pond Be? Why eight foot in the center is the default and when to go deeper.
- Building in Rocky Ground Granite, limestone and caliche, and what each does to the price.