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RLS Land Solutions Excavation & Dirt Sales · Needville, TX
Our Services

Pond & Lake Construction in Needville, TX

Ponds & Lakes · Needville, TX

Pond construction for ranches southwest of Houston

RLS Land Solutions does pond construction on ranch land around Needville and across Fort Bend County. We dig stock tanks for cattle and open lakes for fishing and family use. Our smallest excavators run in the 50,000 pound class, and most pond digs get something bigger. That size is what separates a real pond from a water feature. A landscape crew moves dirt by the bucket, and we move it by the truckload. If you want a koi pond by the patio, call somebody else. A two acre lake on the back of the property is the job we like most.

The dirt you dig out of a pond has to go somewhere, and that part drives the price. Most outfits have to pay to dump it. We own two sand and dirt pits in southeast Fort Bend County and a fleet of tandem dump trucks. So the spoil has options. We can shape it into a building pad or a road bed right there on your place. Or we load it out and haul it back to our pits. On a big dig, that changes the math in your favor.

What We Handle

  • Stock tank ponds for cattle and livestock water
  • Recreational lakes for fishing and family use
  • Pond digging with excavators in the 50,000 pound class and up
  • Dam shaping, keying in and compaction
  • Spillway cuts and bank slope grading
  • Cleanout and deepening of existing ponds and tanks
  • Spoil dirt reused on site for pads and roads
  • Haul off to our pits with our tandem dump trucks

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Stock tanks and ranch lakes

A stock tank is a working pond. It waters cattle through a dry August, so depth matters more than looks. We dig them deep, because a shallow tank is the first one to go dry. Cattle need one gentle slope to drink from. Steep banks everywhere else keep the herd from walking the edges into mud. Most stock tanks we dig cover a quarter acre to an acre of surface water. On bigger spreads we put in two or three, set in the pastures where the cattle graze. Water in the right pasture saves you hauling it in a trailer all summer.

A recreational lake is a different animal. You are digging for fishing and the view off the back porch. Shape and depth work together on a lake like that. We cut deeper holes in a few spots to give bass cool water in summer. Shallow shelves stay flatter for spawning and for wading in. We grade the bank slopes so the ground around the lake stays usable. Most ranch lakes we build run one to three acres. That is a lot of dirt to move. It is why we bring the big excavators and the truck fleet.

What keeps the water in

The dam is the part that does the work. We start by stripping the topsoil and roots out from under it. Then we cut a key trench down into firm clay and tie the new dam into the ground below. That keying step is what stops water from sliding underneath. From there the dam goes up in lifts, and we pack each layer before the next one goes on. Compaction is what makes a dam hold. A dam thrown up loose will seep and settle within a year or two.

We get a break on soil out here. The coastal prairie ground across Fort Bend, Brazoria and Wharton counties runs heavy to clay. Clay generally holds water well. That is why so many ranches in this country have tanks that stay full year after year. Soil still changes from one pasture to the next. Pockets of sand and old creek beds show up where you do not expect them. We watch the material coming out of the hole while we dig. If we hit sand, we can line the bottom with clay from elsewhere on the place or from our pits.

How a pond job goes

Most pond jobs start with a look at the ground. We come out, see where water already runs on the place, and pick the spot that catches it. A pond set in a natural low draw fills faster than one dug on high ground. From there we talk size, depth and what happens to the dirt. Then we price the whole job, dirt handling included. A ranch lake in the $50,000 range is our sweet spot. Our minimum project is around $10,000. We are built for volume work, measured in acres and truckloads.

Digging is only half of it. A one acre pond at eight feet deep is thousands of yards of dirt sitting on your ground. We plan where it goes before the first bucket comes out. Some of it builds the dam. The rest can become a house pad or a road bed on the same property. That saves you buying that dirt again down the road. Whatever you do not want, we load into our tandem dumps and run to our pits. Most ranch owners start with the pond and call us back later for roads or pads.

Cattle standing in a stock pond at sunset Excavator working wet ground on a pond dig

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What You Can Expect

How a Job With RLS Runs

From the first look at the ground to the last pass of the grade, here is exactly how it goes.

1

Look at the Land

We meet you at the property and read the job off the ground itself: what is growing, where water sits, how trucks and excavators get in. Big dirt work prices off what is really out there.

2

Firm Quote

You get a free quote with a real number and a real plan: what gets dug or cleared, how many loads move, where the dirt comes from or goes. It holds unless the scope changes.

3

Move the Dirt

The equipment shows up when we said. Excavators dig, trucks run in rotation, and on deadline jobs we run shifts around the clock until the volume is moved.

4

Finish to Grade

The last pass matters as much as the first load. Pads compacted and holding elevation, ponds shaped and ready for water, ground graded so it drains. We look at the finished work with you before we leave.

FAQ

Ponds & Lakes Questions, Answered

Common questions about ponds & lakes across Needville & Southwest of Houston. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to help.

Call (281) 750-6510

How much does it cost to build a pond in Texas?
Price comes down to how much dirt moves and where it ends up. In this part of Texas, small stock tanks often land in the low five figures. Ranch lakes commonly run $50,000 and up. Depth, dam work and haul distance move the number a lot. Our minimum project is about $10,000, and a firm price comes after we see the site.
What is the difference between a stock tank and a recreational lake?
A stock tank is built to water livestock. It is smaller, steep on most sides, with one gentle slope where cattle drink. A recreational lake is built for fishing and for looking at, so it runs bigger. It gets deeper holes for fish and shallow shelves for spawning. Plenty of ranches want both, and one dig can do it if we shape it right.
How long does it take to dig a pond?
A stock tank of a quarter acre often takes a few days of digging. A one to three acre lake usually runs one to three weeks, depending on depth, dam size and haul distance. Weather is the wild card, since wet clay will not compact. On volume jobs we can run more than one shift and keep dirt moving around the clock.
How deep should a ranch pond be?
Deeper than most people expect. Water evaporates fast through a Texas summer, and a shallow pond turns to mud by August. On ranch ponds out here we usually dig for at least eight to twelve feet in the deep end. Fishing lakes want a few deeper holes so bass have cool water. The right depth depends on your soil and the size of the pond.
Do I need a permit to build a pond in Texas?
Most ordinary livestock and domestic ponds on private ranch land in Texas fall under a state exemption. Bigger ponds, and anything that dams a flowing creek, are worth a check with the state and county first. Rules change with size and location, so confirm your own situation. We can point you toward who to ask.
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Why Choose RLS

Why Landowners and Builders Call Us

We Own the Dirt

Two sand and dirt pits in southeast Fort Bend County. Select fill, bank sand and fill dirt come from our own ground, on our own trucks, when your schedule needs them.

Equipment With Real Weight

Our smallest excavators weigh 50,000 pounds. Ponds, pads, clearing and volume dirt work get machines sized for the job, backed by a fleet of tandem dump trucks.

Built for Volume Work

Hundreds of loads on one project is a normal week here. We run shifts around the clock when a deadline calls for it, and the job is priced from the site, not a phone guess.

Fort Bend County Roots

Fifteen years working this ground, most of it repeat and referral. We know what the coastal prairie clay does when it rains and what it takes to build on it.

Guides & Resources

Ponds & Lakes Guides

Ready to Move Some Dirt?

Get In Touch With RLS Land Solutions

A pond you have been putting off, a pad that needs building, land that needs clearing, or a job that needs truckloads of select fill? Call or send the form. Tell us where the property is and what you want the land to do, and we will set a time to come look at it.

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  • Needville, TX — serving Needville & Southwest of Houston
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