Detention and retention pond construction that controls stormwater and meets site requirements.
Detention ponds in Bastrop earn their keep every time a storm moves through the Lost Pines, and the ones we get called out to most often are the ones nobody has looked at closely since the site was handed over. Whether it is a retail center off the highway or an HOA-owned basin in a neighborhood like The Colony, these systems only work if the inlet, the basin, and the outlet all still do their job together.
The sandy soils unique to this part of Texas drain quickly when they are healthy, but they erode just as quickly once a slope loses its grass or a pine root system dies back. We see it most in Tahitian Village and Pine Forest, where post-wildfire regrowth left some embankments thin and uneven: bare slopes sliding into the basin, a forebay silted in from the first few sandy storms, volunteer pines taking root on the dam where no tree belongs, or an outlet structure packed with sediment and pine straw so the pond holds water longer than it should after a rain.
Working with us on this scope starts with a straightforward site walk, not a sales pitch. We will look at the basin with you, point out what is actually happening below the waterline and along the slopes, and if the pond was built to an engineer's plan, we build and repair to that plan rather than working off a guess. From there you get a clear scope and a free on-site estimate, usually within 48 hours, so your board or your ownership group knows what it is approving before anything moves.
We're a local, family-built company that treats your Bastrop property like our own, tidy crews, clear pricing, and detention ponds that holds up to Bastrop County conditions. Available as a one-time project or part of an ongoing plan.
A detention pond temporarily holds stormwater runoff and releases it slowly, so a developed site doesn't flood downstream neighbors or overwhelm storm drains. Most Central Texas commercial sites, subdivisions and larger developments are required to have detention as part of their drainage permit.
A detention pond drains down to empty between storms and is dry most of the time, while a retention pond holds a permanent pool of water. We build and maintain both, choosing the right one based on your site's soils, drainage requirements and available space.
We walk the basin with whoever is responsible for the property, whether that is a board member, a property manager, or a GC closing out a site. We look at the forebay, the outlet structure, the embankment slopes, and the overall drawdown pattern, then put together a free on-site estimate, usually scheduled within 48 hours. If the pond was built to an engineer's plan, we work from that plan rather than guessing at design intent.
It depends on age and tree cover, but sandy, pine-shaded sites in Bastrop tend to need slope and outlet attention more often than open, clay-soil sites elsewhere, because sandy banks erode faster and pine litter and seedlings build up quickly. Many boards find they need excavation or stabilization work every few years rather than on a fixed schedule, triggered by visible silt buildup, slow drawdown after storms, or volunteer growth taking hold on the embankment.
We schedule around your property's traffic and access needs and stage equipment to keep drive aisles, visitor parking, and common areas usable during the work. For HOA and apartment sites in Bastrop, that usually means working from the pond side away from building entries first and keeping heavy equipment off resident parking whenever the basin layout allows it. We will talk through access and timing with you before anything starts.
The Lost Pines sandy soils here drain fast on paper but erode easily once vegetation is thin or a slope has been scalped by past wildfire or construction, so bare embankments wash out faster than they would in heavier clay soils. Combine that with the area's intense, infrequent downpours and you get forebays that silt in quickly and outlet structures that clog with sand and pine debris between storms.
The biggest factors are how much material needs to come out of the basin, how much of the embankment needs riprap, liner, or slope stabilization, and how accessible the pond is for equipment on your site. A silted forebay with a partially blocked outlet costs less to correct than a basin with failed slopes and volunteer trees established on the embankment. We price each job after the site walk, not off a general rate.
Free, no-pressure estimate from a local crew. Call (737) 404-9343 or request a quote online.
