Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Pflugerville, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Travis County and Central Texas.
Ponds and stock tanks on acreage around Pflugerville, Hutto and the country north and east of it. Clay ground that holds water and equipment that shows up. 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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Rules and Paperwork for a Pflugerville Area Pond
Most of the ponds we build around Pflugerville do not need a permit from anybody. A tank on your own land for livestock and domestic use sits inside what Texas law already allows a landowner to impound, and a normal stock tank is a long way from the size that brings TCEQ dam safety into it.
Two things do come up out here. One is floodplain along Wilbarger Creek and the smaller drainages, where a mapped flood hazard area means a county development permit before any earthwork. The other is city jurisdiction. Pflugerville has annexed a lot of ground and has an ETJ beyond that, and inside those lines there can be land development rules that would not apply a mile further out. We check which applies to your parcel.
Upstream development is the practical issue that matters more than the paperwork. If subdivisions have gone in above you, more water now arrives faster than the drainage was built for. A pond and spillway sized for the old condition will get cut through. We size for what is upstream today.
For ag or wildlife valuation questions, the Travis Central Appraisal District is the office to call.
Ponds and Stock Tanks Around Pflugerville
Pflugerville is on the eastern side of the Balcones divide, which means clay, which means ponds that hold. The soil here is heavy dark prairie dirt, the same material that farmed cotton for a hundred years before the subdivisions arrived. It packs well and it seals.
Most of our work around Pflugerville is out past the city limits, north toward Hutto and east toward Manor and Coupland, on acreage that has not been platted yet. Wilbarger Creek and its tributaries run through a lot of that ground, and where there is a natural draw there is usually a good pond site.
What has changed here in the last decade is upstream development. Land that used to catch runoff from pasture now catches runoff from rooftops, streets and parking lots, and that water arrives faster and in bigger volume. If you are building below new development the spillway has to be sized for water coming off concrete, not off grass. We size for what is actually upstream today.
The other consideration is how flat it is. Flat means the dam does not have to be tall, which keeps cost down, but it also means being deliberate about where water enters and leaves. A pond on flat blackland with no thought given to inflow either never fills or turns into a swamp on the upstream side. We walk the drainage before we pick the spot.
What We Build Around Pflugerville
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Pflugerville 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
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. The first one is the one most outfits skip.
Site Walk and Placement
We walk your place, see how the water runs, and find the spot with the best clay and the least rock. Placement decides whether a pond holds.
Design and Sizing
We set depth, size, dam height and spillway from how much ground drains in and what you want it for. Standard is 8 foot in the center.
Excavation and Dam
Excavators and dozers shape the hole and build the dam in packed lifts, tied into solid ground so it will not seep or slump on you.
Finishing
We grade the banks, cut the spillway, and leave the place clean and ready to seed when we pull the equipment off.
What a Pond Costs Around Pflugerville
| 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 Pflugerville Call Us
We Read the Ground First
Where the clay is, where the rock is, and where the water runs. You hear it straight before you spend a dime.
Dams Built to Stay
Packed lifts tied into solid ground, with a spillway sized to handle a real Hill Country gully washer.
The Right Machine for the Job
Dozers, excavators and a motor grader, matched to the site and the size of the job.
Rock Priced Honest
If your place needs hammer work you hear it in the bid, priced by the day. No surprise change orders.
You Know the Price Up Front
Starting prices posted by pond size, and a firm number once we have walked the property with you.
We Show Up
Quick to answer the phone, and we keep the date we set. Ask around about outfits that never showed up to look at the job.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Travis County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Pflugerville, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Pflugerville, TX
Pond Construction in Pflugerville, TX
Pond Construction in Pflugerville, TX
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
Is the soil around Pflugerville good for a pond?
Yes. It is blackland clay and it holds water without any help. We do not use liners out here and we have not needed to.
How deep should the pond be?
Eight feet in the center is our default. That gives enough water column to survive a Central Texas summer without going shallow and green. Deeper than about twelve gets expensive fast unless you are serious about fish.
Can you build if my property is downstream of a new subdivision?
Yes, and it is worth doing right. More water comes at you than used to. We size the spillway and the emergency overflow for current conditions so a big rain does not cut a channel through the dam.
What does a half acre pond cost around Pflugerville?
Around $23,000 to start at eight foot center depth with four to one banks. Flat clay ground with easy access keeps these jobs close to that number.
What happens to the dirt that comes out?
Most of it goes into the dam. Whatever is left we can spread on site, build a pad with, or haul off. Hauling spoil off a property costs real money so it is usually cheaper to find a use for it where it sits.
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.