Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Current cost to hire excavator build new pond

Hello, have a area that would suit a 1/4 to 1/3 acre pond , I was wondering what the average cost would be for this , just a normal farm/fish pond , excavation and a overflow pipe, ? This area is clear of all trees and mowed regularly

A fully dug pond 1/3 ac could cost up to $25,000 depending on amount of dirt moved and time involved. Soil types and location are important factors. Remember -- if the pond leaks when completed it could cost the same amount or more to fix the leak/s. Ask builder about leak repair policy after pond is completed and get it in writing. Anybody can dig a leaky hole however it takes a well experienced and soil compaction expert to BUILD a pond. You can't properly compact dirt with just a bulldozer which is why they have special dirt compaction equipment for construction projects..

Built my newest pond , late spring of 2022 , my contractor brought out , a scraper , a towable scraper pulled by his tractor, a road grader , 2 Excavators . Built a 1.5 -2 Acre pond in two weeks, 32' wide at crest for a road into our RV Park. Spread the spoils on back side and front side of dam, beautiful bermuda cover by spring of 2023 . He brought the equipment for my pond, my situation . But he's not just a dirt mover. His Dad started their business in the 50's building Government dams all over Ok and Tx , and he's still going 70 years later. Each step of the way, he used the best piece of equipment for the job and my situation. Did each lifts compacting with the fully loaded scrapers. It's cheaper to hire an honest pro one time , than to cry over leaks for years. One also has to keep in mind , you can't tell what is down below, sand/gravel veins , rock formations , etc , that can create unforeseen costs. Dozers, excavators, scrapers, all can build ponds, but the correct one for the particular situation, makes it go faster and a better end product. I'm not a dirt contractor, just a satisfied pond owner, glad my contractor had the tool for each step of the job. My 1st dam , part of farm when I bought the farm, built with dozer only, a dirt mover, was rebuilt 3 times a least ,before I purchased the farm. Spent a chunk of money rebuilding , it was a mess , much better than it was, but no where the dam and pond built by the pro from day one. boh , it's difficult at best to estimate the cost of a pond by anyone without being on site , without any test holes , but for a Pro , I would be with Bill , depending on all the variables , might hit $25K , depending on your ground, what can't be seen , and degree of finish work you want or expect. Mine was $55K , and very happy with end product. Sorry so long , hope it helps you see , "it all depends " and just FWIW MHO. whew !

Personally I wouldn't hire a guy with just an excavator to build my pond.

Why not a dozer?

A 1/3 acre pond is roughly 125'x125' if its square, even bigger if its round or irregular shape, plus the back toe of the dam could be another 40 50 ft beyond that,, a 25' reach excavator is not able to throw dirt that far, and will have nothing but fluffy spoil pile where ever he does drop it.

I have been around dirt and pond building for most of my life, never ever heard of building a pond with an excavator. js

I am not an expert (like gehajake), but agree with his post.

I could only see an "excavator only" plan being viable if you are digging out a pond in nearly pure clay that is already impermeable prior to compaction.

Even then you still need to move the spoils piles out of the watershed that is supplying the pond. Alternatively, you could compact the spoils into some landscaping features, but then you still have bare clay! That needs to have top soil graded back over your clay piles and any other places your construction operations exposed bare clay. Otherwise you will have a very difficult time establishing a good groundcover vegetation to stop your erosion on those surfaces.

There are literally dozens of photos on Pond Boss of the hundreds of erosive channels cut into the clay of people's pond basins prior to the rains completely filling the ponds.

When compacting dirt the amount of soil moisture in the dirt is another variable for how well the clay compacts. You can probably build a 1/3 ac pond for 5K but if it leaks what good is a 1/2 full pond? You have a $5,000.00 headache.