Stock Tank Construction in Texas
- Livestock Water That Holds Through August
A stock tank is working infrastructure. It has to carry your herd through the dry months without you hauling water or running a well pump around the clock.
We build earthen stock tanks on ranches across Central Texas, sized and placed for the cattle that will actually use them. Starting at $14,000 for a quarter acre.
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What Makes a Good Stock Tank
Depth, before anything else. A shallow tank is a summer problem. It heats up, goes green, and can dry out entirely in a bad year, which is exactly when you need it most. We build to eight foot in the center as a standard for that reason.
A watershed that actually fills it. A tank needs enough ground draining into it to keep up with evaporation and what the cattle drink. This is the single most common mistake we see on tanks somebody built themselves. The hole is fine. There is just nothing feeding it.
A bank cattle can use safely. This is where slope matters. A 4:1 or 5:1 bank on the approach side gives stock a gentle wade-in and keeps them from bogging or sliding. A steep bank means lost animals eventually.
A dam built to stay. Packed in lifts and keyed into solid ground underneath, with a spillway sized for a real gully washer.
Sizing a Tank for Your Herd
The honest answer is that most people undersize. A quarter acre tank at eight foot deep holds roughly 350,000 gallons when full, which sounds enormous until you account for evaporation across a Texas summer plus daily consumption.
Cattle drink more than people expect in heat, and evaporation off an open surface in July and August is significant. A tank that carries a herd comfortably in a normal year can come up short in a drought year, and drought years are when it matters.
If you are on the fence between two sizes, go bigger. The cost per yard drops as the pond gets larger, so the upgrade is cheaper than the first one was. Going from a quarter acre to a half is roughly $9,000 more and gets you nearly two and a half times the water.
Where to Put It
Placement decides whether a tank works. We walk the property and look for the spot where the natural drainage concentrates, where the clay runs deepest, and where we can get depth without hitting rock.
We also think about how the herd uses the pasture. A tank in the wrong corner means cattle walking too far and grazing unevenly. A tank near a fence line can sometimes water two pastures with the right setup.
In the Hill Country around Burnet, Marble Falls and Bertram, placement also means dodging granite and solid limestone. Moving a tank a hundred feet can be the difference between a normal job and a hammer job billed by the day.
What a Pond Costs Around Austin
| 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 |
| 3/4 acre | from $28,500 | 4 to 5 days |
| 1 acre | from $33,500 | 5 to 6 days |
| 1 1/4 acre | from $38,000 | 6 to 7 days |
| 1 1/2 acre | from $42,500 | 7 to 8 days |
| 1 3/4 acre | from $46,500 | 8 to 9 days |
| 2 acre | from $50,000 | 9 to 10 days |
Prices and times above are based on 8 foot of depth in the center with a 4:1 bank. Build deeper and it takes longer and costs more. Use the calculator below to run your own numbers.
Rock is the big variable. If we hit granite or solid limestone we have to bring a hammer out, and that gets billed by the day. On a lot of places we can move the pond and miss the rock altogether. That is one of the main reasons we come walk your property before quoting instead of pricing off an aerial photo.
Expansions, cleanouts and rehab work get quoted on equipment day rates rather than by size. Give us a call and we will talk through what your pond needs.
Want the full breakdown of what a pond costs and why it varies across the state? Read how much it costs to build a pond in Texas.
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.
The calculator treats your pond as a bowl. It takes the surface size you pick, figures the radius, pulls the banks in at the slope you chose, and works out the volume between the top edge and the bottom. That gives the cubic yards of dirt that have to come out, which is the biggest single thing driving what a pond costs.
Bigger ponds cost less per yard. Getting equipment out to your place, setting up and tearing down costs about the same whether we move 2,000 yards or 20,000. So the rate per cubic yard drops as the job gets bigger. A small pond runs toward the top of our rate, and a one acre job comes in around a third of that per yard. The calculator does that math for you and shows the rate it landed on.
Why bank slope changes the price. A 3:1 bank drops one foot for every three feet across. A 5:1 drops one foot for every five. The gentler you make it, the more dirt has to move to get the same depth, but you get a safer wade-in edge for cattle and a shoreline that will not slough off on you. Most ranch ponds around here end up 3:1 or 4:1.
Why depth matters more than it looks. A shallow pond warms up, turns green and can go dry in a bad Central Texas summer. We build to 8 foot in the center as a standard for that reason. Every extra foot of depth adds dirt across the whole footprint, not just the middle.
What the calculator cannot see. Rock is the big unknown. Granite and solid limestone need a hammer instead of a bucket and that gets billed by the day, so a rock site can run well past the estimate. Clearing, haul distance, equipment access and how wet the ground is all move the number too. Use this to get in the ballpark, then call us and we will come walk it and give you a real one.
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
How much does a stock tank cost to build?
A quarter acre tank starts at $14,000 built to eight foot of depth in the center. A half acre starts at $23,000, and a full acre at $33,500. Rock is the main thing that pushes a quote up, since granite and solid limestone need hammer work billed by the day.
How big should my stock tank be?
Bigger than you think. Most people undersize. Think about the driest August you have had, not an average year. If you are choosing between two sizes, the larger one costs less per yard of dirt, so the upgrade is proportionally cheap.
What is the difference between a stock tank and a pond?
In Texas the words are used interchangeably. Stock tank usually implies a smaller one built primarily to water livestock. Pond is broader and often means fishing or recreation too. Construction is the same. What changes is sizing, depth and where it goes.
Do I need a permit for a stock tank?
For most landowners, no. Texas allows impounding up to 200 acre feet for domestic and livestock use on your own land without a state water right, and an ordinary stock tank is nowhere close to that threshold. Check with your county on floodplain rules if you are near a creek.
Will a stock tank support my ag or wildlife valuation?
It can. Water is a recognized practice under wildlife management, and a tank supports a livestock operation under ag valuation. It is not automatic and your county appraisal district administers it, so confirm your plan with them before building on that basis.