Cost to build 1 acre pond

[Alan L.]

When I had my 1.5 acre pond (10-12 feet deep) dug in 2000 it was $10K of aobut $15 total dirtwork and tree removal that was done. It will depend on how much dirt has to be moved, seems like he figure something like 95 cents per cubic yard of dirt moved. If you can just move a little dirt and dam up a natural slope it will cost less than if its pretty flat and it all has to be dug out. And the latter will be difficult to fill with rain water.

Ours gets 3 or 4 feet low in the summertime, and so for, for 10 years it has filled up over winter/spring. We have a well and I have a 1.25" line next to the pond, but seems like it has to run 2 or 3 days to raise it an inch. And, then well is our only source of drinking water so I really don't want to put that much pressure on it. So far the pond has recovered each year, I have big catfish and bass in there, and none have ever died from lack of water.

 

[lilranch2001]

I had a quote 20 years ago when I bought this land for an acre and a half pond, if I remember it was 6 k, and he guaranteed it not to leak.

Of course it was one of those statements from my ex wife.....
"Bob we dont need one fo those"

 

[The Dougster]

A couple of years ago, I had a contractor work over a pond (we call them stock tanks here in Texas) and he charged me $5500... that included digging down a few feet to determine if there was enough clay to provide a good seal to prevent leaking.
Your sketch looks great but these things don't always follow a predetermined plan. Dependent on the slope of the land and the amount of rain/snow, you may have problems filling the pond.. Have a long, serious talk with reputable contractors.

 

[rogerius]

First of all thanks to everybody for the great feedback received so far, I'm so glad I asked the question here. That is true, we are concern about fluctuation in water level during the year and as a backup we are thinking to a well, but that will be after we'll see the pond done.
I'll let you know the value of the first quote and the development of this project.

Thanks again guys.
Floyd

 

[ray66v]

My father and I, dug 2 lakes on his property, for almost nothing.

We bought some used equipment, and sold it for what we paid, when we were done.

Plus, we had fun doing it. :thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

A simple rule of thumb is a buck a yard to move dirt. The farther you move it, the more that will cost you. Digging is fast and easy, the real work is in moving it. Since you said that you are using the dirt to build up an area close by, that should help keep expenses down.

For every foot you dig over an acre of area, you will be moving 1,613.3 yards of dirt.

43,560 sq. ft. (1 acre) * 1 ft. deep /27 cubic ft. (1 cubic yd) = 1613.333 cubic yds

While the slope will make it less then an acre the farther you go down, it's a good rule of thumb to figure $1,600 per foot for your pond.

The only thing my rule of thumbs are good for is to give you a base of what you are looking at. Each area of the country is different, and you could be in an expensive area or a cheaper area. Having a baseling of $1,600 per foot will let you know if you are being taken advantage of or getting a deal.

Other consderations are how well they will spread the soil. Will it be compatce? If you are going to build on it, you have to spread it out and compact it. If not, the soil will settle over the years and anything you build on it will also settle with the soil, resulting in foundation failure and all that goes along with that. When you do build on that area, be sure to tell your contractor that the soil was put there from your pond and about how deep it is. Digging a bit deeper footings for your house can save you tens of thousands of dollars down the road in foundation problems.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[ITHINKICAN]

Eddie, Not sure if you'll see this...

We are in Fort Bend County. We need lots and lots of dirt. We want to build an mx/atv track for our boys. We know of a monster size pile of dirt. We were quoted $55 a truck load to move it 6 miles (from where it is - to where we need it). We told them it was too much - then they quoted $45 per truck load. Each truck would be approx 12 yards - I guess that is approx $3.75 a yard. We were then told if we dug a pond it would be approx $2.75 a yard - I guess that pays for the excavator, dozer and a truck or two...

Do you happen to know anyone down in the Houston area that would dig us a pond for those prices you mentioned? It would save us a mountain of money if you did...

Sorry to jack the thread - carry on.

 

[Redneck in training]

We had a pond built in 2004. The pond is in a dammed ravine, is about 0.7 ac of triangular shape and 18-19 ft in the deepest point. Average depth is about 8 ft. Cost 11500 to build and 10000 in seepage repair.
You also mentioned beach. I wouldn't do it. It would be a source of cattails growth. To prevent excessive cattail growth the the banks of the pond should be reasonably steep (depending on soil quality) to at least 3.5 ft deep.
I am guessing you will need about 20:1 watershed.

 

[EddieWalker]

Let my clarify my buck a yard statement. That's what it costs me to do so, and what I would guess it costs most guys to do it. There is no profit figured into that amount, just fuel, oil and the price of equipment for the time you are using it.

When you hire people to do it, you have to add in the price of labor. Then the farther you move it, the more it will cost. Especially if you are moving it with commercial trucks, on public roads and have to pay licensing and insurance. Just moving it around the farm doesn't require any of that.

As for knowing anybody in your area, I can't say that I do. Pond Management - Fisheries Management - Pond Boss Magazine might be a better place to search for a contractor, but like everything, research and check refrences before commiting to anybody. Be sure to have at least five to talk to before hiring anybody and force yourself to talk to all five. Some contractors are great salesman and can make you feel really good about hiring them, but then their work is less then what you had expected.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[jml755]

A couple of comments:
- Have you checked with your local govt about any pond ordinances? Don't know about Ontario laws, but here in Michigan permits are required, plans must be approved, etc. My township recently tried to amend their pond ordinance because one overflowed and got a neighbor p-ssed off.
- I have a pond (almost 4 acres) in St. Clair County (SW of you, across the border) that I believe is just fed from runoff. Water level is down about 1 foot this summer, so yeah, you will have fluctuations. However, the Great Lakes area is NOT Texas or down South. We get a LOT more precipitation. And Grey County is in an area that I don't think you'll be lacking for snowfall. :laughing: I haven't ever seen the smaller ponds in the area become just mudholes.