Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,899
Posts557,071
Members18,451
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,411
ewest 21,474
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,110
Who's Online Now
14 members (Shorthose, Requa, Freg, DenaTroyer, Blestfarmpond, Snipe, RAH, Rick O, Justin W, bstone261, Theo Gallus, esshup, jpsdad, Bing), 748 guests, and 188 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#1 04/23/02 09:38 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
R
Junior Member
OP Offline
Junior Member
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
Roughly how much does it cost to construct a 3/4 acre pond with a 10ft max depth. Any info would be appreciated.

#2 04/23/02 09:40 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
It can vary depending on where you are located and the how difficult it is to dig in your area. I also depends a lot on if your excavator needs to haul off the dirt or can spread it on the property.

You should also shop around as prices may vary considerably and you don't necessarily get what you pay for. I would say in my area of northern Indiana $4000.00 and up. I had a guy quote me $20,000. Please!

#3 04/24/02 08:19 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 470
B
Member
Offline
Member
B
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 470
Hi here in North Alabama I had a 1/3 acre pond dug max depth of 9 ft. Ran me 2800.00 but this was low as someone else paid for removing approx 1000 yards of fill. 46 load in a hauler and the cost of the track hoe to move and load it. Total would have been about 4500.00.

#4 04/24/02 11:05 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
D
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
D
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
It depends on what you are having done. They stopped up a deep gully on my place and created about a one acre stock tank. Cost was about $5,000
altogether. You also have to consider other factors like the road to it, clearing around it, dirt haul off, etc. Whatever you do, try to get a firm price. Heavy equipment has a road gear and granny gear. If you are paying by the hour, they don't get in much of a hurry. In my area of North Texas, a D-6 operator charges about $60 per hour and a D-5 about $50. However the D-6 will do a whole lot more work. Also remember, not every dozer operator can build dams. Some of them spend a lot of time on construction, brush clearing, oil field, etc. I would check references and go look at their work. Ask the landowner how he feels about the operator. I personally think I would talk to a professional dam and/or lake builder. You might not want to hire them but you would learn what they know and it would help judge others.

#5 05/03/02 12:23 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
R
Junior Member
OP Offline
Junior Member
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
Dave, just checked out your site.Very informative site and I like how you have the time phased pictures of the pond.That pond is only 1/3 acrea ??It looks much larger. Is that big enough to have bass in it ??

#6 05/03/02 12:24 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
R
Junior Member
OP Offline
Junior Member
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
Sorry Dave, I was referring to Bob in Alabama and accidentally used your name.

#7 05/07/02 10:37 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1
S
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
S
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1
I just completed a pond last fall, just shy of a full acre with a maximum depth of 14 feet. It was built in the middle of a wooded area, in a natural run. It required a dam and extensive excavation, Many trees had to be removed, and after we reached 6 feet in depth we hit "gumbo" clay which caused all kinds of problems such as: what do you do with it, where do you put it, and how? Of course the pond does not leak, and I had plenty of material for the dam. Total cost was about $5000.00 I strongly recommend paying the land contractor by the hour as opposed by the quote. Even in my case with the clay, I came out ahead. My contractor had very little experience with ponds, but I was on site the entire time. I've read and studied everything I can, including POND BOSS MAGAZINE and I am quite pleased with the outcome as are my pond buddies. Do your homework, be on site. You're paying for it afterall.

#8 05/14/02 08:04 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2
N
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
N
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2
How would i make a little waterfall into a pond??


Nd FiShErMaN
BaSs FiShInG RuLeS aLl FiShInG
#9 05/14/02 08:04 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2
N
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
N
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2
How would i make a little waterfall into a pond??


Nd FiShErMaN
BaSs FiShInG RuLeS aLl FiShInG
#10 05/17/02 04:25 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
E
Member
Offline
Member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
Guys:

Since we switched to this new bulletin board format, this is one of the most interesting exchanges we've had so far. Am really enjoying seeing the various experiences from pond owners around the U.S.

Here in Central Texas, based on the ponds I have designed, built from scratch or remodeled, if we do not encounter unexpected problems below the surface, I can provide a client a 1-acre pond, 8-9 feet deep for $22,000, turn-key.

Twenty-two grand! You say in a faint.

Oh, but there's a kicker here.

This pond will have a 20 mil man-made liner, fully guaranteed. So, no matter what the soil-type (ultra-porous in these parts), the client gets a pond that holds water.

Some parts of the country with ample rainfall will be different. But here in semi-arid Central Texas, in today's real estate market, if I spend $20,000 to put in a 1-acre pond on my country, I have just increased my property value by $40,000 to $50,000.

One side note: Let me say, sight unseen, that many of you have over-estimated the size of your pond. Invariably, a piece of water will trick the eye, especially if it has an irregular shoreline. It's like fuel economy in your pickup. I bet your truck gets better mileage than mine.

I know, I know. You're the exception. You can eyeball a stretch of water and come close to estimating its actual size. You are truly the exception.

I've been around water all my life, and I've been fiddling with ponds and pond management since the late-1980s, for serious since 1992 when I launched Pond Boss. That doesn't mean I know what I'm seeing.

Just last week, I estimated the size of a winding, stream-like fishing hole near Fredericksburg, TX at, oh, 1-to-1.25 surface acres. I took distance readings with one of those Bushnell Rangefinders and fed them to colleague Bob Lusk.

Bob ran the calculations, based on my numbers, and broke the news to me gently.

"Hey, Einstein, the pond is three-quarters of an surface acre."

Boi-i-i-ing! (palm to bald forehead)

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

#11 05/20/02 08:33 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
R
Junior Member
OP Offline
Junior Member
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4
Mark, how large a pond do you recommend to sustain a largemouth/bluegill fishery. I heard somewhere that a pond of 1 acre will only support around 35 mature bass.
Thanks.............

#12 05/20/02 09:51 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
E
Member
Offline
Member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
Thoughtful question, Robert, asking if a 1-acre pond will support a bluegill/bass fishery.

One acre can support a bluegill/bass fishery. It can. Emphasis on the CAN.

You will find that in about three or four years, your bass are such predators, they will always threaten to overeat their food supply. Result is underweight bass that, in extreme cases, are more vulnerable to parasites and disease.

In a highly fertile (green water) pond where you feed the bluegill a high-protein supplement, you can get away with raising a few bass . . . maybe 25 pounds to the acre. But you'll still need to remove a few bass every year, just to keep up with the recruitment (spawn survival).

Pond pros I work with generally recommend NOT stocking bass unless your water body covers at least 1 surface acre, minimum. A smaller system simply has trouble generating enough forage to sustain the bass population.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

#13 05/20/02 10:00 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
E
Member
Offline
Member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
I need to correct a previous post.

Several days ago, I said I could provide a client with a 1-acre pond 8-9 feet deep, and guarantee that it will hold water, by using a man-made liner.

Mr. Smartguy here said I could do the pond for $22,000. That's not quite right.

I forgot to account for one key factor . . . a flow-through pipe and/or a spillway . . . to relieve the site of surplus water in times of high runoff.

The dirt work and equipment required for that function brings our actual cost to $28,000-$29,000.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

#14 05/20/02 10:56 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7
T
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
T
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7
Only 25 pounds of bass per acre? I have +/- 175 3lb avg wt bass in a pond just under an acre. That is 525 pounds of bass whose relative weights remain high.

#15 05/31/02 10:06 AM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5
B
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
B
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5
Here in south central Illinois, finding enough clay in the soil to hold water is generally not a problem. Heck, the adjacent county to the south is called Clay County. Most dirt contrators bid pond sites by the amount of soil that is needed to build the dam. In most cases the cost to construct a pond dam will be between $1 and $1.50 per cubic yard of fill dirt. Then you need to add the cost of any clearing and the cost to install the pipe spillway. I constucted a 3 acre pond on my property in 1999 and I feel it is typical of the cost in my area. Below is a breakdown on the pond.

Dam: 25ft tall, 200ft long, 12ft top, 3:1 back slope, 2.5:1 front slope = aprox. 10,000 cu yds
Pond site was wooded and three days were needed to remove trees and brush. The only area where stumps were remove was where the fill dirt was to be taken to build the dam. After the dam was complete, the stumps and root balls were placed back in the pond for structure. A 4 inch drain pipe was placed in the bottom of the pond to allow the pond to be drained for fish and weed management. An 8 inch pipe was used as the principle spillway. Both the drain and the principle spillway had 2 anti seep collars on them. Then the pond dam was fertilized and seeded to control eroision. One day was spent on dozer pushing up mounds and ridges, creating drop offs, and placing stumps.

The bill from contractor was for $18,000.

three days clearing cost $2700
Pipe installations cost $700
Day creating structure cost $900

Subtract these costs off the $18,000 and it leaves $13,700 that went to moving dirt for the dam. At 10,000 cu. yds. this would be $1.37 per cu. yd.

With the additional costs of pipe, fertilizer and seeding/mulching and all the beer it took to get my buddies to help, I had a total cost of aprox. $20,000.

Therefore, when estimating a pond for someone, a figure of $2.00 per cu. yd. for a turn key pond will usually be in the ballpark for this area and usually on the safe side. Obviosly, if no clearing is needed and a drain pipe isn't wanted and the owner isn't interested in creating a good fishing pond, the cost will be lower. Then you have your choice of contractor. I always recommend a contractor that has several pieces of equipment. You don't want to get halfway into a pond and have a "one dozer contractor" break down. It may take a week or more to get parts and you may have a half built pond that is sitting full of water by then. When choosing a contractor remember, you usually get what you pay for.

#16 06/06/02 07:47 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
E
Member
Offline
Member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
New info on the price of a pond vs. its value. . .

An acquaintance in San Antonio, Texas recently bought a run-down dairy farm in the brush country south of town. Spent $100k "cleaning up" the place.

His chief expenses were boring a deep irrigation wellrenovating a dairy lagoon, a stock tank and a main fishing lake.

A few months later, he sold the place for a tidy, tidy profit, at $500 per acre over the price of neighboring property. Why? The surface water.

In this part of the country, living next to the desert, a pond or lake is extremely valuable. In Florida or Oregon or Maine, maybe surface water is not such a big deal.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

#17 06/06/02 07:53 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 469
Likes: 26
T
Member
Offline
Member
T
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 469
Likes: 26
Mark - Tim here - you have seen my pond so you can get an idea of value - previous owner built it in 1992 - 8 acres, 40 feet deep, huge dam built with clay taken from about 200 yards away, damn leaks not a drop, nice spillway, boat ramp and runoff rocked in, etc. His cost was near $100,000 ten years ago - worth that much to build??? probably not. Value to me?? priceless! Hard to put a price on value of a recreational lake - anyway, FYI on cost of building a larger pond.

#18 08/01/02 07:47 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1
S
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
S
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1
I am thinking a having a 3/4 pond, approx 12 feet average depth built. A local contractor quoted $75,000 for just getting rid of the soil. Guess I will keep looking.
Grrrrrrrrr. it cant be this costly, or can it?
Syd

#19 08/01/02 10:56 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,011
R
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
R
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,011
Syd,

$75,000 for a 3/4 acre pond !! Thats enough to flatline anyones EKG. Good luck in your continued search for a contractor.

Russ

#20 08/02/02 08:35 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
D
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
D
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
Syd, I don't know anything about California dirt but in Texas contractors often buy it and resell it. A neighbor of mine got a free one acre stock tank just so the dirt contractor could get the dirt. Sounds like someone is peeing on you and telling you its raining. Is there something wrong with your dirt? I'd check around for someone else. However, make sure that 1.You don't need the dirt for the dam 2. That your dirt has the right clay content and will hold water. 3.Check references on any dam builder and make sure he actually knows how to build a pond. A lot of the dozer operators know how to build roads and clear brush but not much more.

#21 08/02/02 11:33 AM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 13
D
Member
Offline
Member
D
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 13
The price of getting a new pond dug will really shock most folks. I got a 10,000 yard square pond dug and it cost $15,000. If I was buying some property I would look for property that already has ponds/ lakes established on it. Most folks have no idea how much money it takes to build a pond and you'll get more bang for the buck by renovating an existing pond as opposed to building a new one. If you have the money try to purchase a property that has a soil conservation like on it. Some of those dams would cost well over 1/2 million to build now.

Joined: May 2014
Posts: 40
B
Offline
B
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 40
Some of these low ball prices sound like real hillbilly ponds. I'd think if you want something nice, you will pay a bit extra.

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,411
Likes: 788
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Online Content
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,411
Likes: 788
Some of the prices could sound low because they are from 12 years ago too..........


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,979
Likes: 14
S
Ambassador
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Lunker
S
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,979
Likes: 14
Hillbillies can have nice ponds also.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 288
Moderator
Offline
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 288
Ok, I'll bite. What's a hillbilly pond?


AL

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
Bob Lusk, GaryK, GrizzFan, PhotographerDave
Recent Posts
Brooder Shiners and Fry, What to do??
by Freg - 03/28/24 09:42 AM
Alum vs Bentonite/Lathanum for Phosphorus Removal?
by DenaTroyer - 03/28/24 09:38 AM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by esshup - 03/28/24 08:45 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by esshup - 03/28/24 08:36 AM
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by Justin W - 03/28/24 08:19 AM
Reducing fish biomass
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:18 AM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by esshup - 03/27/24 06:05 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/27/24 06:02 PM
Questions and Feedback on SMB
by Donatello - 03/27/24 03:10 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by Bill Cody - 03/27/24 10:18 AM
2024 North Texas Optimal BG food Group Buy
by Dave Davidson1 - 03/27/24 08:15 AM
Freeze Danger? - Electric Diaphragm Pump
by esshup - 03/26/24 09:47 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5