How many acre-feet is a typical stock pond?

A one-surface-acre pond (about 209 ft x 209 ft) with an average depth of 8 feet holds roughly 8 acre-feet. Most ranch stock ponds and dirt tanks in the Rio Grande Valley hold between 1 and 15 acre-feet — a small fraction of the 200 acre-feet ceiling in the Texas Water Code Section 11.142 domestic and livestock exemption.

Does the calculator account for side slopes?

It uses average depth, which is how you account for slopes in a quick estimate: a pond with sloped sides holds less than a straight-walled pit of the same maximum depth. Rule of thumb: average depth is about one-half to two-thirds of maximum depth on a typical 3:1 sloped pond. For the real design — slopes, freeboard, spillway, and soil — we measure on site.

How many truckloads of dirt come out of a stock pond?

Divide the cubic yards by 22 — one El Venadito RB truck hauls 22 cubic yards. A one-acre pond averaging 8 feet deep is about 12,900 cubic yards, roughly 590 truckloads if hauled away. That is why on most ranch jobs the spoil never leaves: we shape it into pads, road base, or berms on your own property, which also saves the hauling cost.

Will my pond need a permit?

Usually no state water-rights permit: Texas Water Code Section 11.142 exempts ponds up to 200 acre-feet of normal storage for domestic and livestock use on your own property. Texas 811 notice before digging is always required. See our plain-English guide, 'Do You Need a Permit to Dig a Stock Pond in Texas?', for the details and the exceptions.

Stock Pond Calculator: Size, Dirt Volume & Acre-Feet

Stock pond size & volume calculator

Enter the planned length, width, and average depth of your pond. You get three numbers: the cubic yards of excavation, the 22-yard truckloads that represents, and the acre-feet of water storage compared against the Texas Water Code 200 acre-feet exemption. Estimates — the real design happens on site.

Length (ft) Width (ft) Average depth (ft)

Tip: average depth on a sloped-side pond is roughly one-half to two-thirds of the deepest point. A pond 12 ft deep at the center with 3:1 slopes averages around 7–8 ft.

How do you calculate stock pond volume?

Two formulas: length (ft) × width (ft) × average depth (ft) ÷ 27 = cubic yards of dirt, and length × width × average depth ÷ 43,560 = acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is one acre covered one foot deep — 325,851 gallons).

Step 1: Measure the planned footprint at the waterline: length × width in feet.
Step 2: Pick an average depth (about ½ to ⅔ of maximum depth on sloped ponds).
Step 3: L × W × avg depth = cubic feet.
Step 4: ÷ 27 = cubic yards of excavation · ÷ 22 = truckloads if hauled.
Step 5: ÷ 43,560 = acre-feet of storage. Under 200? You are inside the Texas domestic & livestock exemption.

Quick reference: common pond sizes

Sanity-check numbers for typical Rio Grande Valley dirt tanks. One surface acre ≈ 209 ft × 209 ft; one acre-foot = 325,851 gallons.

½-acre tank, 6 ft average: ~4,840 yd³ of dirt · ~3 acre-feet stored
1-acre pond, 8 ft average: ~12,900 yd³ of dirt · ~8 acre-feet stored
2-acre pond, 10 ft average: ~32,270 yd³ of dirt · ~20 acre-feet stored
200 acre-feet (the exemption ceiling): a 20-acre lake averaging 10 ft — a different league than a stock tank

On most ranch jobs the spoil never leaves the property — we shape it into pads, road base, or berms on site, which is also the economical move. Whether your soil will hold water is a separate, honest conversation: see how we build stock ponds.

Want the real numbers for your place?

Free on-site evaluation: soil check, siting, exact volumes, and an honest answer on whether it will hold water. Anywhere in the Rio Grande Valley.

Request a Free Estimate Call (956) 840-9046