Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Idea of cost

We own 25 acres of land - all is in pasture or riding arena, barn etc (have horses). There is a 25 acre tract of land beside us that we have the opportunity to purchase. This land is in a Flood zone, does have some slight hills (we are in eastern NC, so pretty flat). Right now it has trees, but the land has a logging contract and will be logged sometime within the next 12 months.

In looking at purchasing this property we are likely going to refinance our existing farm, and am wondering how much $ we will need to build a pond. Ideally my husband would like something about 2 acres. With Bass and whatever other fish should be stocked with it. I do not think that we would have the dirt hauled off, but moved to another part of the property where I would like a hill for a cross country course (horse talk).

So any ideas on what an undertaking like this would cost, or anyone in Eastern NC that does this work?


I know that I saw a post years ago where someone had a pond dug by the loggers who came in.

Thanks for your input/advice

Pond costs will vary greatly from area to area, soil type to soil type. It most likely will be less expensive if you dig it between 2 hills in a ravine, and dam the ravine. More dirt moved = more $$ spent. Even different areas of the country have different prices.

Before you turn a shovelful of dirt, you should look in the Pond Boss store and buy "Perfect Pond". It will be an invaluable reference.

Get a guy that is known for digging ponds. There are many dirt movers out there, but few actual pond builders (meaning digging a hole that will hold water and not leak badly). If you dig a pond and it won't hold water, figure on spending about what it cost in the first place to fix it.

Welcome to the forum!!

Hooton - first, a big welcome to Pond Boss.

(EDIT: It appears that I double posted with my good friend ESSHUP)

You will probably get a variety of good suggestions. Anything out of the realm of reality will hopefully get moderated, or otherwise turned into a fun and nonsensical thread.

I have some experience with eastern NC as a former home/land owner of several properties in Brunswick county.

I'm far from a real estate expert. However, from my perspective, property in eastern NC will become more and more of a premium. The area has a wonderful climate. You've got beach and mountains on either side. The local people are incredibly friendly.

The only minor downside I see is that your prospective new land might not hold pond water.

My only other suggestion would be that you build several smaller ponds, each with its own characteristics and habitat.

Costs are really variable, depending on a multitude of questions. I would start with a visit to the local NRCS office and/or your local NC Aquaculture Extension Service office. They can provide an incredible amount of advice -- at no cost to you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions here, at the NRCS, or at your local aquaculture Extensin Service office.

Ken

Welcome to posting.

Bob Lusk will know NC from working at Richmond Mill. So might PB friend David Beasley http://www.virginialakemanagement.com/meet-the-team.php

Greg Grimes may also be able to help.

All good recommendations.

Thank you for the info. Will be sure to get the book. Buying the property isn't contingent on weather or not we can put a pond on it. The acreage is adjacent to our existing 25 acres, so we want it regardless, but being able to put a pond on it would be a bonus.

There aren't any ravines to dam up. This is very FLAT land. There are several small ponds in the area, and they are all dug ponds, I have noticed some seem to hold water better than others.

It appears that the land on the tract we are hoping to buy is mostly Roanoke Silt loam, with a small area (about 3 acres) of Bladen Fine Sandy loam. Our existing property, which is all cleared and in pasture land is Lenoir Loam, with a 1% slope, and more of the bladen sandy loam. Not sure if that helps at all....

Is the Aquaculture extension part of the agriculture extension office?

Thanks again.

@ P.Hooton. Since none of the "experts" answered your question. I will give you my opinion. (which is what you asked for,"So any ideas on what an undertaking like this would cost, or anyone in Eastern NC that does this work?

I think a budget of $50,000 would be a good figure to work with. I have built 2 ponds on my property and have had quotes to build additional ponds and this is about what it runs in my part of the country to build a quality pond of that size. This is just an "idea" of what something like this might cost.

Good luck with your pond building!!!

Just as a side note... My main frustration with this forum is trying to get a straight answer when you ask a question or for an opinion. You asked for ideas on what it would cost, A idea!! Not a quote, not a guaranty, not a written estimate! For crying out loud people just give the lady an "idea of what an undertaking like this would cost" She is not going to file suit against you if your "idea" isnt +/- 3% of what it ends up actually costing her!!!!

Too many variables for us to estimate cost that would be accurate. That's the main reason why no "exact" number has been given. It would be best to consult with someone from the area to get a more accurate idea of cost.

You just proved my point again!!! She didn't ask for an exact price. She asked for an I D E A !!!

There is an incredible amount of dirt to haul out of a pond that size depending on how deep you want it. If you have a place close by to dump the dirt I would be looking to pay 25-35K or I'd be talking to the next guy. On my lake the quotes ranged from 23k to 200k+ for a 8 acre lake. Luckly the guy I wanted all along was 23K which makes me think the 200k+ guy didn't really have a clue what he was getting into.

2 acres here is around a 50K job in most situations.

Or the $200K guy didn't want to do it very much, unless you made it worth his time.

For digging a hole and pushing soil adjacent with a bulldozer on a hillside (cheap route) around here is about $18K per acre with ave depth of ~12 feet.
It would go up 2X cost if it were a hole on flat land and you had somewhere on-site nearby to put the soil by bulldozer only. Haul it away? If you could find someone that needs the fill you could save money and share the cost of hauling.

Damming a small ravine is cheapest if you don't include cost of emergency overflow and drain pipe installation. Not as much dirt to move.

For me, the cost qouted was around 15,000/acre. However the guy told me I had two acres, and I really had a tad over 1. That means the cost would have been 30,000/acre. Be careful of how they figure it and what you get in return. I ended up doing it myself, glad I did but a lot of work. Other variables that affected the quoted cost were: Renovating a pond, which always costs more -- depth quoted was only 8' -- all muck/dirt had to be hauled away.

OK, what I have found out so far...

1) If we go over 1 acre we will need a permit. The permit will cost $200/acre of disturbed land, so not just where we dig, but where we dump the dirt. This will likely be what we do, as I want a hill on the property...

2) If we chose to have the dirt taken away, it will cost less to dig, because the company digging would most likely buy the fill??, but then we are looking at a mining permit and special soil testing. Sounds like major $$$$

3) There is a part of the property that we can dig a pond, but not add any dirt. That isn't really an issue, as we can put the dirt else wear, and that wasn't really where I was thinking of for the pond.

We had a friend that had a pond dug in the are - just under 1 acre to avoid permits, and it cost him 3K (seems a little low). However it was also only 4 ft deep and the person digging bought the dirt from him. I am thinking 4 feet isn't deep enough for a bass pond....

And just ordered the book that was recommended!

Hooten...so now you're really going to get confused!

best way is book an appointment with a couple of local professionals and they can look at all the variables & give you some quotes to compare and study. If you see pretty ponds in your area, stop and ask the owner "who built your pond?". "Are ya still happy with the builder?"

we just had a small pond built last summer for around $8,000.
it's a pretty little pond...probably a bit less than an acre.



in my non-expert opinion I always think
ballpark turn-key pricing for quality pond building is as follows

For a professionally built pond it is going to
be "about $10,000 an acre".

2 acre pond = About $20,000

5 acre pond = About $40,000 - $50,000

10 acre pond = About $75K-$100K

Of course there are lots & lots of variables
just like most construction projects.

If you have aggregate of value (like gravel) on your land you may be able to trade gravel for water. That is how our 5 acre pond was crafted.

The "Company" wanted our gravel and we wanted a pond so we made up a contract. It took 10 years to finish the project (the time frame was stated in the contract as well as the average depth, shape, etc.....).

If this approach works for you, your job during the project is waiting. The "Company" has to do everything else including the paper work, permits and etc.

I wonder about pond construction costs in a ravine. That sounds like you save money building the pond that might cost more to maintain the pond later because of sediment.