A water gap carries your fence across a creek or draw. It has to hold stock at normal flow, then let floodwater and drift through without tearing out the fence on either bank. We build water gaps into new and existing fence lines and price them on site. Ask us about your place: call or text 254-716-5760.
What a water gap is
It's the stretch of fence that crosses running or flood-prone water. String a regular fence across a creek and it catches drift in the first big rain. The water's force then pulls the fence out a long way on both sides. A water gap is built to let that water and drift go by.
The NRCS Texas fence specification says floodgates must be designed to allow water and debris to pass and still control livestock. Noble Research Institute says the same: the ideal water gap works as a floodgate, holding animals without blocking the natural flow of water.
Water and debris push on every creek crossing, which makes it a weak spot in any fence line. If the crossing gives way after a rain, your cattle have an open gap.
Where a water gap is needed
Anywhere a fence crosses a creek, a draw that runs after rain, or a low spot that carries sheet flow. Plenty of draws sit dry most of the year and run hard a few times. They need a gap as much as a live creek does.
Every kind of fence can need one: pipe fence, barbed wire and field fence, pipe top rail over wire, and high fence, where a gap at the bottom of a draw is the easiest way out for game.
We're based in Weatherford and work from Fort Worth west to Abilene and south to Waco. We build water gaps in every town we serve. See the list below or service areas.
Fixed, swinging, and hanging gaps
Noble Research Institute describes two main types: fixed gaps for stable crossings and swinging gaps where the flow varies. Which one fits depends on how wide the crossing is, how hard it runs, how much drift comes down, and what you're holding.
Fixed gaps
A fixed gap is a low, strong fence section across a crossing that doesn't shift much, where water mostly passes under or through. It suits small draws with stable banks and light flow.
Swinging gaps
A swinging gap hangs from above, often from a pipe or cable across the crossing, and swings downstream when the water rises. Bekaert describes a swinging gate that will swing to float in the water and let debris pass. Once the water drops, it swings back and holds stock again.
Cable with hanging material
Bekaert recommends a cable across the top of each bank with gate material hanging to the waterline. Noble lists what people hang: barn tin, chain, high-tensile wire, and weighted polywire. Bekaert suggests weighting the center wire with a rock so stock can't push under, and putting a current limiter on electric gaps so a flooded gap doesn't short out the whole fence.
Posts, cable, and hanging panels
For the structural parts of a gap, Noble recommends galvanized pipe or wood treated for high moisture. It also says to set posts 2 to 3 feet back from the water's edge so the bank doesn't wash out from under them, with T-posts in grassed areas and fiberglass on bare banks and channel bottoms. Bekaert gives the same 2 to 3 foot setback.
The hanging part is meant to give way to water, so it's lighter material: tin, chain, wire, or panels hung from a cable or pipe. Expect to replace some of it after a big flood. Noble notes polywire in particular may need replacing after heavy flooding.
- Heavy pipe or treated posts on the banks, set back from the edge.
- A cable or pipe across the crossing to hang from.
- Hanging material sized to the crossing: tin, chain, wire, or panels.
- Braced ends on the main fence at each bank.
How we build a water gap
We look at the crossing with you: how wide it gets at high water, where the drift line sits, how steep and stable the banks are, and what's on each side. Then we pick the design and price it on site.
The main fence ends at a braced post on each bank. The NRCS Texas specification calls for end brace assemblies on gaps over 20 feet. If a flood takes the gap, it takes the gap, not the fence. Posts go in back from the water's edge, the cable or pipe goes across, and the hanging section gets fitted to the channel so stock can't walk under at normal flow.
Timing depends on the crossing, the ground, and whether the creek is running. You'll get a schedule with the quote. For more on gap types and when a draw needs one, read what a water gap is.
Tie-ins with the rest of the place
The gap ties into whatever fence runs to the creek, at braced ends on each bank. If stock need a gate near the crossing to reach water, we hang it with the fence. We build ranch gates for that and for the entry.
Creek crossings often sit near the rest of the water work on a place. Planning a tank on the same draw? We build ponds and stock tanks too, so the fence, the gap, and the tank fit one plan. Where cattle come up from water into pens or a working alley, we can lay out the gap and the pens together.
After a flood
Noble recommends checking water gaps after every significant rain. Pull out drift caught on the gap, re-hang panels that flipped or tangled, make sure the posts weren't undercut, and look for new holes under the bottom.
If a flood takes out a gap or the fence beside it, send photos and ask us about a rebuild. A rebuilt gap can often be set up to handle the next flood better. See fence repair and rebuilds, or text photos to 254-716-5760.
Questions about water gaps
What is a water gap?
The part of a fence that crosses a creek or draw. It holds stock at normal flow and lets floodwater and debris pass. NRCS Texas calls them floodgates. More in what a water gap is.
Do I want a fixed gap or a swinging one?
Noble Research Institute recommends fixed gaps for stable crossings and swinging gaps where flow varies. A draw that runs hard after rain usually does better with a swinging or hanging gap. We'll look at the crossing with you and pick one.
How much does a water gap cost?
It's priced on site. There's no honest published range, because width, bank height, flow, drift, and the fence on each side all change it.
Can you add a water gap to a fence I already have?
Ask us about your place. Done right, the fence gets braced ends on each bank with the gap in between. If the old fence ran straight across the creek, that section comes out.
How wide can a gap be?
As wide as the crossing needs. The NRCS Texas specification calls for end brace assemblies on gaps over 20 feet, and wide crossings usually hang from a cable or pipe.
What should I check after a big rain?
Noble recommends a check after every significant rain. Clear drift, re-hang panels, look for undercut posts, and check for holes under the bottom. If it's torn out, text photos to 254-716-5760.
Do I need a permit for a fence across a creek?
Weatherford and Aledo both require a fence permit inside city limits. Unincorporated Parker County issues no building permits, but it does regulate floodplain work. If the crossing sits in a mapped floodplain, check with the county.
Anywhere else, check with the city or county before we start.
How long does it take?
That depends on the crossing, the ground, and the water. We don't build in a running flood. You'll get a schedule with the quote.
Where we build it
Water gaps is on the list for these towns. Not on the list? Ask us.
