Earthen tanks, San Antonio
Earthen ponds and dirt tanksdug around San Antonio.
Earthen ponds and dirt stock tanks dug on acreage around San Antonio and Bexar County: soil tested first, the tank sized for your animals and the dry years, and the banks shaped and compacted.
- Stock tanks
- Bexar County
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Stock tanks, San Antonio
A dug tank, not a metal one
Search for a stock tank in San Antonio and most of what comes up is galvanized tanks and pools. This page is about the other kind: an earthen pond or dirt tank, dug into your land to catch runoff for cattle, horses or wildlife.
Around San Antonio the ground decides whether a tank holds water. Up on the Balcones Escarpment on the north and northwest side the ground is often limestone, while the south and east side runs more to clay.
Highlander Construction is based next door in Helotes. Call and tell us about your land.
Local detail
What decides a San Antonio tank
Limestone on the north side
The NRCS pond handbook calls limestone areas hazardous for ponds because hidden crevices can drain them (NRCS Handbook 590). On the north and northwest side, test holes come before any plan.
Soil that holds water
NRCS asks for at least 3 feet of tight soil, and the Texas Farm Ponds guide calls 30 percent clay ideal (Texas Farm Ponds). Test holes settle it. See building a tank that holds water.
Sized for the herd
NRCS puts beef cattle and horses at 12 to 15 gallons per head per day (NRCS). Add evaporation, seepage and a deep section for dry years.
Permits and floodplains
A domestic and livestock reservoir of up to 200 acre-feet on your own land needs no water-rights permit (Tex. Water Code 11.142). Near the 100-year floodplain, Bexar County Public Works reviews construction (Bexar County).
Questions
Stock tanks questions: San Antonio
Do you build metal stock tanks?
No, this page is about earthen tanks: ponds dug into your land to catch runoff. We dig, shape and compact them.
Will a dug tank hold water on limestone ground?
Not always. Limestone can have hidden crevices that drain a pond. Test holes before the dig tell us whether the soil will hold.
Do I need a permit for a stock tank in Bexar County?
A domestic and livestock reservoir of up to 200 acre-feet on your own land needs no water-rights permit. Near a floodplain, check with Bexar County Public Works.
Do you build tanks farther out?
Yes. See Medina County, Bandera County and Kendall County.
On the job
Photos from our work
Real photos from Highlander Construction jobs. Captions say what each shows. More in recent work.
Keep reading
Stock Tanks & Ponds
Earthen stock tanks and dirt ponds dug and shaped, with the spoil pushed up into a berm, ready to catch and hold water.
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Guides
Building a stock tank that holds water.
Siting, soil tests, clay, sizing for the herd, depth for drought and the 200 acre-foot rule.
Read the guideLeaky stock tank? Causes and fixes.
Why tanks leak, from limestone and sand lenses to a weak dam, and the published fixes.
Read the guide
What a stock tank costs depends on.
Dirt moved, soil, rock, access, spoil and design: the things that set the price of a dirt tank.
Read the guide
Free estimates
Stock tanks in
San Antonio?
Call (830) 328-3684 or send a few details. Estimates are free.