East Texas Land Clearing and Excavation
Pond Construction
We’re located in Nacogdoches, Texas and know that our customers expect a high level of customer care. We guarantee to be on time, communicate effectively and will do everything we can to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your project.
East Texas Pond Building Experts
POND CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS
Building ponds and lakes takes quite a bit more than just digging a hole and pushing dirt for a dam. Our home came with a small lake that was (we later learned) poorly constructed. After consulting several engineers, we learned that nearly 648 acres of watershed feeds into and through our lake. Needless to say, we were constantly having to repair and fix areas until we decided to finally rebuild from scratch. We learned first hand the do’s and don’ts of pond / lake construction and share our experiences on each project.
Does the site / area provide enough water run-off to support the size pond or lake being considered? Surprisingly, evaporation takes a toll on small or shallow ponds that don't have enough water intake.
If there isn’t enough water run-off to support the size pond or lake, then there is the likelihood that the pond will not hold water throughout the year. In some cases, a high water table may be suitable for water supply. Ideally, a local spring feed is perfect.
Does the site / area have the proper soils for building a pond or lake?
Soils play a huge role in pond / lake construction, and East Texas has a huge variety of soils! Even a 1 acre pond site can have 2-3 varying types of soils. This is where our expertise and experience comes in – knowing what soils can and cannot support the construction site, or offering an estimate for excavating enough bad soil (sand and sandy loam) to get to the good soil (clay) for construction.
What is involved in site preparation and dam construction?
A LOT! Proper dam construction must include a core or keyway. This is essentially a “trench” deeper than the lowest part of the pond and wide enough to hold back water and water pressure after construction. obviously, depth and width vary, and knowing the proper size is important. Good clay soil is put back into the trench and lifts (6″-8″ layers) and compacted. Proper compaction is important to prevent (or lessen) pond seepage.
What type of spillway is recommended?
This varies from site to site and based on many conditions.
The simplest (and least expensive) is a run-off spillway built along the side of or around the dam. Biggest concern with this design is erosion.
Another option is culverts. I’m not a big fan of this design due to them getting stopped up (unintentionally with debris or more often intentionally by beavers!) and then causing more damage to the dam areas. Also, there are several calculations to be considered for size and volume for heavy rains and run-off.
One final design to mention is siphon tubes. These are well designed systems that are built into the dam during construction and, when properly working and maintained, can move a LOT of water. Not a bad design at all, but can be costly.
We would love to share our expertise and advice with you. Please give us a call and an opportunity to bid your project.
POND PRICING
Pond digging PRICES START AT $9,000.
From a business standpoint, pricing for ponds and lakes can be all over the place. However, if you’re like me, as a consumer, you will want to have SOME idea of what to expect going into the project.
Some business’ may offer hourly or weekly rates. In my opinion, this can be very misleading to the consumer unless they have a really good idea of how to run machinery and what to expect as to the production rate. Sadly, very few business owners fully comprehend their operation well enough to offer a daily/weekly rate that would be fair for the business and consumer alike.
We prefer to look at the project and offer a complete price package. This offers the consumer a full understanding of what they are purchasing and what to expect as a final outcome for the project.
Additionally, any down time for repairs or maintenance isn’t being charged to the consumer on an hourly bases, so we feel this is the best “value”.
All that being said, how much does it cost to build a small pond? Naturally, there can be a TON of variables that determine the final cost, but let’s break it down to help get a basic understanding.
First, let’s define “small”. Most consumers want a small pond that will allow for some fish and entertainment, maybe even a watering hole for livestock. These range from 1/4” to 1/2” acre generally.
Secondly, what is the topography layout? Is the ground high and dry or low and wet? Are there natural swells or hills to help with the overall construction, etc. We’re going to assume that the area selected is well suited for a pond, with low lying, basically flat area that offers a natural run-off for surrounding terrain.
Finally, we need to consider soils. For a pond to hold water, we have to have the right soil at depth and available to construct a dam. The ideal soil is heavy clay soil with good plasticity (meaning its very workable when damp). Other types of soils need to be stripped away before construction can begin, so this can certainly can add to the costs quickly.
For our ideal pond, we’re going to construct a 1/4 acre pond, approximately 10-12’ deep, in a low lying area. We’ve determined that clay soils are available approximately 6”-8” below topsoil. With these conditions, we can generally estimate construction to be approximately 40 hrs of operation time (time utilized w/equipment running). Cost for this pond would be $ 9,000.00 with a simple runoff type spillway (no culvert or rock added).
We hope this information has been helpful. We also hope that you will give us a call to discuss your specific details and allow us to provide a quote for your project.
Thanks
Brad & Terry
Owens Project
PROJECT DETAILS Mr. & Mrs. Owens had recently purchased a new Mobile Home and were excited about the expansion. Their new homesite required some extensive
Mt. Enterprise
We’re located in Nacogdoches, Texas and know that our customers expect a high level of customer care. We guarantee to be on time, communicate effectively and will do everything we can to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your project.
Corley Project
We’re located in Nacogdoches, Texas and know that our customers expect a high level of customer care. We guarantee to be on time, communicate effectively and will do everything we can to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your project.
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