Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Marion, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Guadalupe County and Central Texas.
Ponds and stock tanks on Guadalupe County ranch land around Marion. Clay soils that seal, and old tanks brought back cheaper than digging new ones. This is dirt work, not landscaping.
What the pond is for changes how we build it. Tell us that first and the rest of the decisions get easy. Quote back to you inside a day.
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Permits and Rules in Guadalupe County
A stock tank on your own acreage around Marion generally needs no permit. Impounding water for livestock and domestic use on your own land is allowed under Texas law without a water right, and the ponds we build are far below TCEQ dam safety thresholds.
Cibolo Creek and its tributaries carry mapped floodplain through this part of Guadalupe County. If your site sits in a flood hazard area you will need a development permit from the county before earthwork. That is worth establishing before you choose a location.
Guadalupe County is in the Guadalupe basin and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority has an interest in certain projects, mainly larger impoundments or work affecting a watercourse. For an ordinary ranch tank it seldom comes up.
Growth out of San Antonio and Seguin has brought city limits and ETJ boundaries closer to a lot of this land. If your parcel falls inside one, local development rules may apply on top of county requirements. We check which apply during the site walk.
Ag and wildlife valuation goes through the Guadalupe Appraisal District.
Pond Building Around Marion
Marion sits in Guadalupe County between Seguin and San Antonio, and the ground here holds water. There is clay in these soils and we do not use liners around here. Cibolo Creek drains a good bit of the country north and west and the draws feeding it are where the natural pond sites tend to be.
Most of the acreage around Marion is ranch land and small farms, a lot of it in families for a long time, and a lot of it with an old tank on it that has silted in over the decades. Cleaning one of those out and reshaping the banks is usually a better spend than digging somewhere new. The site has already proven it holds water, which is the hardest thing to know in advance.
Where we do build new, the process is the same as anywhere in clay country. Find the draw where water already collects, key the dam into solid material below the cracked surface layer, build it in compacted lifts, and size the spillway for the watershed above it. Nothing exotic. Just done properly.
Marion is toward the southern edge of the area we cover out of Johnson City. We work down that way and we will tell you honestly what the travel adds to the ticket.
What We Build Around Marion
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Marion area. Quarter acre stock tanks up to multi acre lakes, plus expansions and cleanouts on ponds you already have.
Stock Tanks & Ranch Ponds
The working tank. Eight foot center depth, banks graded to hold their shape, placed where the runoff already goes.
Lake Excavation
Bigger water for property that can feed it. We size the dam and the spillway to the country draining in.
Pond Cleanout & Rehab
Twenty years of silt pulled out, banks reshaped and the dam checked. The site has already proved it holds water.
What a Good Pond Does for a Place Out Here
A pond is the cheapest improvement you can make to a piece of rural land that actually pays you back. It carries livestock through August without a well pump running day and night. It pulls game to one spot. It holds your rainfall on your dirt. And it is worth real money the day you decide to sell.
Key Benefits Include:
- Livestock water without running the well
- Game and birds pulled to one place
- Rainfall held on your ground
- Somewhere to fish and swim
- Water available if fire comes through
- Higher price when the place sells
How We Build a Pond That Holds
How a pond goes in, start to finish.
We Come Look
Nothing gets quoted off a satellite photo. We stand on the ground, walk the drainage and dig where we plan to build.
Plan and Price
Depth, size, slope, dam height, spillway. You get the plan and a firm number before anybody starts moving dirt.
Build
Dozers and excavators on site. The basin gets cut and the dam goes up in lifts, compacted as it rises.
Finish Out
Final grade on the banks, the spillway cut and armored where it needs it, and the place cleaned up behind us.
What a Pond Costs Around Marion
| 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 Marion Call Us
Test Holes Before Talk
We put a machine in the ground and find out what is down there instead of guessing off the surface.
The Dam Is the Whole Job
Keyed into solid material and placed in lifts. Most ponds that fail did not fail because of the dirt.
Our Own Iron
Bulldozers and excavators we know the condition of, sized to what your job actually needs.
No Padding for the Unknown
We do not build a worst case number into every bid. If rock shows up, you pay for the days it takes.
A Number You Can Plan Around
Published starting prices, then a firm figure after we have stood on the spot with you.
Somebody Answers
You get a person on the phone and a date that holds. That is a lower bar than it should be in this trade.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Guadalupe County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Marion, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Marion, TX
Pond Construction in Marion, TX
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
Does the soil around Marion hold water?
Yes. There is clay in the ground through most of Guadalupe County and ponds seal without a liner. We have not needed one down there.
Should I clean out my old tank or dig a new one?
Usually clean out the old one. It is cheaper, and more importantly the site has already shown it holds water. We will look at both and tell you which is the better spend.
How deep do you build?
Eight feet in the center is the default. Deeper if you want fish to make it through a hot summer.
What makes a dam fail?
Two things mostly. It was not keyed into solid ground so water travels along the old surface, or the spillway was too small and a big rain cut through it. Both are avoidable and both are why we build the way we do.
Do you come this far south?
Yes, Marion is within the area we cover from Johnson City. It is a longer haul so mobilization shows up in the price, and we will tell you what it is up front.
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.