Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Whitney, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Hill County and Central Texas.
Ponds and small lakes on Hill County acreage around Whitney. Clay that holds water and dams keyed in so they keep holding it. This is dirt work, not landscaping.
Every pond gets built for what it actually has to do, whether that is watering cattle, holding through a dry summer, or giving you somewhere to fish. Free quote in 24 hours.
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Rules and Permits Around Lake Whitney and Hill County
A pond on your own Hill County land for livestock and domestic use does not normally require a water right, and typical ranch ponds are nowhere near the size where TCEQ dam safety regulation applies. That covers most of what we build up here.
Lake Whitney is the exception worth understanding. It is a Corps of Engineers reservoir, and land near the shoreline or within the flowage easement carries restrictions that ordinary Hill County acreage does not. If your property is close to the lake, get clear on where those boundaries sit before you plan a pond.
Hill County is in the Brazos basin and the Brazos River Authority has an interest in some projects, mostly larger ones or those affecting a watercourse. Floodplain along the Brazos and the creeks feeding it is the more common consideration, and a mapped flood hazard area means a county development permit.
Ag and wildlife valuation is handled by the Hill County Appraisal District. Ask them what they need documented before you build.
Pond Building Around Whitney
Whitney is Hill County ground, which despite the name is not Hill Country. This is prairie and cross timbers country up on the Brazos, with clay soils that hold water well. We do not use liners around Whitney. The material seals.
Lake Whitney and the Brazos dominate the geography here and a lot of the acreage around town is recreational, hunting places and weekend land as much as working agriculture. Ponds on that kind of property tend to be built for fish and for looks as much as for stock water, which means depth and shape matter more than they do on a plain stock tank. If you want fish through a dry summer you want more than eight feet somewhere in it and you want some structure down there.
The clay around Whitney behaves like blackland does further south. It cracks when it dries and the dam has to be keyed down below that cracked layer into solid material. Skip that and the pond seeps along the old crack lines. That is the single most common reason a pond around here fails and it is entirely preventable.
Whitney is the northern edge of where we work out of Johnson City. It is a longer haul, so we are straight with people about what the equipment move costs and we try to line up Hill County work together.
What We Build Around Whitney
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Whitney area. Quarter acre stock tanks up to multi acre lakes, plus expansions and cleanouts on ponds you already have.
Stock Tanks & Ranch Ponds
Ranch ponds and stock tanks from a quarter acre up, placed after we have dug test holes and found the clay.
Lake Excavation
Small lakes where there is enough ground draining in to keep one full. Basin, dam and spillway together.
Pond Cleanout & Rehab
Rehab on an existing tank. Silt out, banks back to a stable slope, dam repaired and spillway cut to grade.
What a Good Pond Does for a Place Out Here
Water changes what a piece of land can do. Cattle stay put instead of drifting to the neighbor. Wildlife shows up and stays. The runoff that used to leave your place stays on it. And on a hot August afternoon it is the only thing on the property anybody wants to be near.
Key Benefits Include:
- Cattle watered where you want them
- Wildlife and dove brought in close
- Runoff captured instead of lost
- Fishing water close to the house
- A water source if a fire starts
- Land value you can see from the road
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 Whitney
| 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 Whitney Call Us
Placement Over Everything
The right spot on your property is worth more than any product we could put in the hole. We find it first.
Spillways Sized for Real Rain
Built for the storm that actually comes through here, not for an average shower on a chart.
Equipment That Fits
A big excavator on a small tank wastes your money. We bring what the job needs.
Straight Talk About Rock
If we find it, we tell you what it means for the schedule and the price before we keep going.
Quotes That Hold
What we quote after the site walk is what you pay unless the scope changes and you approve it.
On Time, On the Day
We keep the date. If weather moves it, you hear from us before it moves.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Hill County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Whitney, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Whitney, TX
Pond Construction in Whitney, TX
Pond Construction in Whitney, 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
Will a pond hold water around Whitney?
Yes. The clay soils up here seal well and we have not needed liners in Hill County. When a pond fails around Whitney it is the dam construction, not the dirt.
I want fish in it. What changes?
Depth and shape. Eight feet is the minimum and more is better if you want fish to survive an August. A shallow shelf around part of the edge and some structure on the bottom helps too. We build the hole to suit that.
How far is Whitney from you?
It is one of the longer hauls we make out of Johnson City. Mobilization is a real cost on that distance and we will tell you what it is instead of hiding it in the price.
Why do you key the dam in?
Because dry clay cracks, and those cracks run deeper than the surface suggests. If the dam sits on top of them water travels along them and comes out the downstream side. Cutting a key trench into solid material below the cracks stops that.
Do you build lakes as well as ponds?
Yes, up to a few acres. Past a certain dam height TCEQ gets involved and the engineering requirements change. We will tell you where that line falls for your site.
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.