PaPond, Few West Texas ponds, that I am aware of, are on actual waterways. I can't really speak for East Texas but believe it to be about the same way. Quite a few that I know of are on seasonal creeks. For the most part, we stop up gulleys and impound runoff. I occasionally hear of small creeks being stopped up with coffer dams to build an actual dam but not often unless it's a government project of some kind.
On the other hand, there is only one natural lake in Texas. It is Lake Caddo. All other lakes result in stopping up rivers and good sized creeks. Most are also used for power generation and domestic use. Most are used for city water supply.
As I alluded to earlier, the difference in a pond and a puddle just might depend on the time of the year.
