Detention and retention pond construction that controls stormwater and meets site requirements.
Detention ponds across Cibolo, from Bentwood Ranch to Falcon Ridge to Buffalo Crossing, are doing more work than most property managers realize. These basins were sized and built to handle runoff for a specific site plan, and in Guadalupe County's expansive clay soil, the ground underneath and around them does not stay still. Soil that swells when it is wet and pulls away when it dries puts steady pressure on embankments, pipe joints and outlet structures, and a pond that looked fine at turnover can start failing quietly within a couple of seasons.
In practice that shows up in predictable ways. A forebay silts in faster than expected because the clay erodes off bare slopes before grass gets established. Drawdown slows because an outlet pipe has shifted or partially blocked. Volunteer trees take root on an embankment where nobody is mowing, and their roots open new paths for water to move through soil that was never meant to carry it. In newer Cibolo subdivisions, where landscapes are still filling in and builder-grade grading did not account for years of Hill Country storms, these issues tend to appear earlier than owners expect.
Working with Corral Bros on this scope starts with a walk of your basin, not a form to fill out. We look at what the site plan called for, what is actually there now, and what it will take to get the pond back to doing its job, whether that means regrading, rebuilding an outfall structure, or stabilizing a slope with riprap. If an engineer is involved on your site, we work from their plan and alongside them. You get a straight answer about scope and next steps, which is what a board or a property manager actually needs.
We're a local, family-built company that treats your Cibolo property like our own, tidy crews, clear pricing, and detention ponds that holds up to Guadalupe 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 schedule a free on-site visit, usually within 48 hours of your call, and walk the basin with whoever manages the property, often an HOA board member or a community association manager. We look at the inlet, the forebay, the slopes and the outlet structure, and talk through what the site plan calls for versus what is actually happening on the ground. You get a plain-language rundown before any work starts, not a sales pitch.
Most basins in newer developments like Bentwood Ranch or Falcon Ridge need attention every one to three years, depending on how much bare soil was left after the builder moved out and how heavy the storms have been. A pond handed over from a developer with thin grass cover or an unstabilized slope will usually need work sooner than that. We can tell you what your particular basin is doing once we have eyes on it.
We stage equipment and materials away from active parking areas and coordinate timing with the property manager or management company ahead of time, since most of this work happens on retention and detention basins that sit apart from buildings and drive lanes. For apartment and retail sites we work around posted hours and existing traffic patterns rather than the other way around. We will talk through access and timing specifics during the site walk.
Guadalupe County's expansive clay soil swells and cracks with the wet and dry cycles typical here, which opens gaps along embankments and outlet pipes and lets water find new paths around structures instead of through them. Combined with hard, fast Hill Country storms, that movement shows up as slumped slopes, silted forebays and outlets that no longer drain the way they did when the pond was built. Grading and stabilization work has to account for that movement, not fight it.
The amount of excavation and regrading needed, how much the inlet and outlet structures have degraded, and whether slopes need full riprap or liner work versus spot repair all drive cost. A basin that has silted in heavily or lost its spillway integrity takes more time and material than one that just needs erosion control. We give you a specific number after the site walk, not a phone estimate.
Free, no-pressure estimate from a local crew. Call (737) 404-9343 or request a quote online.
