Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Wimberley, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Hays County and Central Texas.
Ponds on Wimberley property, steep ground and tight access included. We work out how the equipment gets there before anybody signs anything. 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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What Wimberley Property Owners Should Check
For a stock tank on your own acreage, there is usually no state permit involved. Texas law allows impounding water for livestock and domestic use on your own place without a water right, and typical ponds do not approach the size where TCEQ dam safety rules apply.
Wimberley has a few specific things worth checking. The Blanco River and Cypress Creek have mapped flood hazard areas and this valley has a serious flood history, so a county development permit is a real possibility depending on where your site sits. Parts of Hays County are also over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, which can bring TCEQ Edwards rules into play for earthwork.
Then there is access, which is not a permit issue but it is the thing most likely to stop a job. A lot of Wimberley property is reached by narrow, steep drives that a loaded low boy cannot use. We work that out on the site walk.
Ag and wildlife valuation questions go to the Hays Central Appraisal District. Water is commonly part of a wildlife plan but confirm their requirements first.
Pond Work on Wimberley Terrain
Wimberley is steep, and steep changes everything about a pond job. The first question here is not what the dirt is like, it is whether we can get a low boy to where the pond goes. Narrow county roads, tight driveways, cedar, and grades that a loaded trailer cannot climb are all normal problems around here. We would rather work that out on the site walk than after the equipment is sitting at your gate.
Once we are on the ground, Wimberley dirt is Hill Country dirt. Thin over limestone on the slopes, better material down along Cypress Creek and the Blanco River bottoms. The good pond sites are almost always in the draws, and on steep property those draws are often the only flat ground on the place anyway.
Building on a slope also means the dam does more of the work. On flatter country you dig a bowl. On Wimberley terrain you often shape a dam across a draw and let the hillsides form most of the basin. That takes less digging and it looks more natural when the water comes up. It also means the dam has to be built properly, keyed into solid ground and placed in compacted lifts, because it is holding back more than a flat land dam ever would.
Drainage matters here too. Water moves fast off these hills. Spillways get sized for that, not for an average rain.
What We Build Around Wimberley
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Wimberley 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
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 Wimberley
| 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 Wimberley 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 Hays County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Wimberley, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
1/4-Acre Stock Tank - Bastrop, TX - 2 Days
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
Can you get equipment to a pond site on steep Wimberley property?
Usually, but it is the first thing we check. We can cut an access road in as part of the job if that is what it takes. What we will not do is show up and discover we cannot reach the spot.
Is a dam better than digging on hilly ground?
Often yes. On steep property you can shape a dam across a natural draw and let the hillsides hold the water, which means moving a lot less dirt than cutting a bowl out of a slope. It usually costs less and looks better.
Will a Wimberley pond hold water?
In the draws with soil depth, generally yes. Up on the thin rocky slopes, no. We test hole before we build so you are not paying to find out the hard way.
How do you keep the dam from washing out?
Key it into solid material, build it in compacted lifts of clay heavy soil, and size the spillway for the actual watershed above it. Water comes off these hills fast and an undersized spillway is what takes dams out around here.
Do you handle the cedar that has to come out?
Yes. Clearing is our other side of the business, so cedar coming off the pond footprint and the access route gets handled on the same job.
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.