Stock tanks and ponds dug and shaped for cattle, horses, and wildlife on your own land. We walk the draw with you, see where the water comes from, and build the tank to the landowner's domestic and livestock exemption. Priced on site.
What a stock tank or pond is
Out here, a stock tank and a pond are mostly the same thing: a low spot dug out, with an earthen dam on the downhill side that catches runoff and holds water for stock and wildlife. Call it a tank or call it a pond. Bigger ones get fish. Smaller ones save the cattle a mile walk to drink.
Building one means picking a spot where water collects, digging the basin, building and packing the dam, and giving overflow a safe way out so a big rain doesn't cut the dam. A tank is only as good as the dirt holding the water and the dam keeping it there.
Where a tank fits
Tanks usually go in a draw or low spot that already carries water when it rains. A good spot catches enough runoff to fill, but not so much that every storm tops the dam. It also sits where stock can reach it from the pastures that need water.
Texas Water Code §11.142 lets a landowner build a dam or reservoir on their own property with normal storage of up to 200 acre-feet for domestic and livestock use without a water-rights permit. That exemption belongs to the landowner, not the contractor, and it covers non-commercial use. We build tanks to the landowner's domestic and livestock exemption. If your plans go past that, check with the state before we dig.
Wildlife uses a tank as much as stock does. Deer, turkey, and ducks come to water, and a well-placed tank can make a hunting place better. Under §11.142, non-commercial fish and wildlife use has its own conditions. If wildlife is the main reason for the tank, tell us, and check that it fits.
If the tank sits on a creek or draw your fence crosses, you may also need a water gap below it.
Choices to make
Start with what the water is for. A tank for a few head in one pasture is a different job from a pond you want to fish and look at from the porch. Use and size drive the rest.
- Size and depth. Bigger and deeper holds water longer through a dry summer, but takes more dirt work. We size it to the draw and the use.
- Where the dam goes. Across the narrowest spot in the draw usually means less dirt to move.
- Overflow. A spillway around the end of the dam lets heavy rain leave without cutting the dam.
- Stock access. One sloped side or a fenced watering point, so cattle don't tear up the whole bank.
- Clearing. Brush and trees come out of the basin and off the dam, so roots don't open leaks.
A tank for stock or a pond for the porch
A working stock tank is about water you can count on in August. It goes where the pastures need it, and looks come second. A pond by the house is as much about looks as water, so the shape, the banks, and the view count for more, and it's usually fenced off from stock.
Plenty of places want both: a working tank in the back pasture and a pond up front. They can often be dug on the same mobilization.
Equipment
Tank work is dozer work. A dozer digs the basin, pushes the dirt up into the dam, and packs the dam as it goes. A track loader or excavator helps on tight sites, and a skid steer handles finish work and clearing around the edges.
The material is the dirt already on site. A tank holds water because the dirt in the basin and dam holds it, so where the clay sits on your place decides a lot about where the tank goes.
How we build a tank
It starts with a walk. We look at the draw, where the water comes from, where it leaves, and how stock will reach it. Then we stake the dam and basin with you on the ground.
- Clear. Brush, trees, and topsoil come off the basin and the dam footprint.
- Dig and build the dam. Dirt from the basin goes into the dam in layers, packed as it goes.
- Shape the basin. Slopes and depth set for the use, with a stock access point.
- Spillway. Cut around the end of the dam so overflow goes around, not over.
- Finish. Shape and dress the dam so grass can take hold and hold the dirt.
After the first fill
A new tank fills with rain, so timing is up to the weather. Watch the dam and spillway after the first few big rains, and keep trees off the dam as it grows in.
Tie-ins with fence and land work
A tank is usually one piece of a bigger plan for the place. It often follows land clearing that opens up a pasture, and its dirt work can share a mobilization with a pad or drive. See dirt work and building pads.
Fence goes with water. A cross fence may need to split a tank between two pastures, or keep stock off the dam. Where a fence crosses the draw below a tank, a water gap holds stock and lets floodwater through.
Questions about ponds & stock tanks
Do I need a permit to build a stock tank in Texas?
Texas Water Code §11.142 lets a landowner build a dam or reservoir on their own property with normal storage of up to 200 acre-feet for domestic and livestock use without a water-rights permit, as long as it isn't commercial. We build to that exemption. If your plans go past it, check with the state first.
What is the difference between a pond and a stock tank?
Mostly the name. In Texas, a stock tank is an earthen pond built to water livestock. A pond may also be for fish or looks. The build is about the same.
Will my soil hold water?
That depends on where the clay is on your place. A tank holds water because the dirt in the basin and dam holds it. We look at the site on the walk and talk through what we see before we dig.
How big should a stock tank be?
It comes down to how many head drink from it, how long it has to last through a dry spell, and how much water the draw sends it. We size it on site.
How much does a stock tank cost?
Priced on site. Size, depth, the ground, and how much clearing it needs all change the number. Call or text 254-716-5760 or send photos through the quote form.
How long does a new tank take to fill?
A new tank fills with rain, so it depends on the weather and the size of the draw feeding it. Some fill in the first big storm. Others take a season.
Can you fence around the tank or put in a water gap?
Yes. We build fence too, so the tank, the cross fence, and any water gap below it get planned together.
Where we build it
Ponds & stock tanks is on the list for these towns. Not on the list? Ask us.
