Every great pond starts
below the surface.
Our pond and lake specialists map the land, lab-test the soil and design in 3D, then build each one around how you'll use it: an estate waterfront, a private fishing lake, waterfowl and hunting habitat, a working farm or ranch pond, or the amenity and retention lakes at the center of a new development.
Free phone consultations, always with a true pond and lake specialist. Based in Basehor, Kansas, serving Kansas, Missouri and the continental United States since 2019.
Built to contract, from your own plans, or on flexible terms like time and materials, with planning and risk management always recommended first.
A large pond performs only as well as it was planned, so we recommend diagnostics and design before construction. After final grade, our fisheries and lake management partners can manage the water long term, and professional landscaping means your pond doesn't have to sit as bare dirt waiting to look finished. We lay out every option, from high-end finishes to more economical approaches, so the decision fits your goals rather than the lowest number. From the Kansas City area to project sites across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and beyond, these are a few of the large ponds and lakes we've designed and built.
What you see here is a small sample of our work. Many of our projects are high-profile or confidential and kept off the web at the owner's request. More of that work can be shared in person during your site evaluation, if requested. Don't see what you're looking for? Reach out anyway — our website isn't where our limits are.
Tell us about your project and we'll call you to discuss it. We're happy to email if you prefer, though we recommend a call: it's the fastest way to answer your questions in depth before you commit or invest anything.
Planning features in from the start gives you more options and fewer compromises later. These are some of the most requested, not the full list.
Rock, timber and engineered fish structure, spawning beds and feeders, planned with fisheries biologists when your project calls for it. We can also install your own DIY habitat, and it’s always exciting to work with clients who bring their own unique vision and ideas.
Islands and peninsulas shaped into the design, plus wetland shelves and flooded timber for waterfowl and wildlife.
Diffused aeration, fountains and windmill aerators with our aeration partners, plus pond dye and catch ponds that help keep water clear.
From simple fishing docks to double-decker lake docks, in every size and style, sold through Bulletproof from our USA-made dock fabricator partners. Their crews install docks every day and can install yours, or choose a DIY option if you’d rather install it yourself.
Boardwalks, beaches, lighting and entertaining spaces right at the water’s edge.
Natural stone waterfalls and cascades in every size and style for large ponds and lakes, from subtle spillways to dramatic statement falls, built to the scale of the water.
Riprap, limestone edging, stone steps, retaining walls and seawalls that protect the banks and finish the look.
Sod, turf and broadcast, drill, native or wildflower seeding, with erosion control matched to your site, from silt fence and wattles to straw cover.
Picture these on your water?
Features planned in from the start give you more options and fewer compromises later.
A quick call is the easiest way to see what fits your water, your land and the way you want to use it.
Every pond creates spoils, the soil that comes out of the basin. Instead of paying to haul it off or spread it thin, we can shape it into an intentional berm with a slip and slide built from the same durable liner material we use in ponds, or a launch point for a zipline. It cuts down on moving earth and turns leftover dirt into a place everyone wants to be.
The same material can go into other creative uses as add-ons, including popular options like berms, large-scale landscaping, and water routing and drainage solutions. Ziplines and slip-and-slides are the more unusual options, the fun ones that make the property unforgettably yours.
Have something else in mind?
Most features can be planned in, whether you've seen it somewhere or it only exists in your head so far.
Tell us what you're picturing and a pond specialist will call you to talk it through.
Large ponds rarely stop at the basin and dam. With our own equipment and crews, we handle the earthwork your project calls for in-house, from estate home sites and shop pads to field terracing, drainage and erosion control, so you're not hiring and coordinating a second contractor.
Done as part of your pond or lake project, or by request for larger sites.
Ask about earthwork for your project →We don't stop at the dig. When a project calls for expertise beyond earthwork, we bring in trusted specialists we work alongside, so you have one team from planning through long-term care.
Engineering support when your project or permits call for it.
Stocking, habitat and fish structure planned for the fishery you want.
Diffused aeration, fountains and windmills sized for your water.
USA-made docks for fishing, swimming, entertaining and boat access.
Water quality, vegetation control and care for the years after the build.
You won't be left searching for the next contractor. We make the connections and plan them into your project from the start.
Ponds and lakes are our full-time work, every day. Your pond specialist is with you from the first call through construction, so you always know what's next and who to ask.
We start by listening. Your specialist talks through your vision and purpose, options and tradeoffs, rough cost ranges and timelines, so you understand your project before you commit to anything.
This is where the real data gets collected. We run a LiDAR survey, pull deep soil borings for lab testing and, if you'd like, walk the property with you. Evaluations are a paid service, and consult-only visits are available when you just want an expert's answers on site.
Our in-house team combines your survey and soil results with historical, regional and watershed research, then designs your pond in AutoCAD Civil 3D, the same software licensed engineers prefer. You'll see a rough plan first, then we refine it around your must-haves, add-ons and tradeoffs. With real data, we can build to a fixed-price contract that keeps the risk on us, the specialists. Prefer to skip diagnostics or build from your own plans? We can work time and materials. We'll always recommend full planning, but the decision is yours.
Once you approve your design and proposal, we support your permitting with the design data and guidance regulators look for. You file, but you're never on your own. This is also the time to plan erosion control and bring in our fisheries, aeration, dock and lake management partners, while there's still room to plan instead of retrofit.
Equipment arrives and our team handles the behind-the-scenes prep: staking the layout, meeting with partners and briefing the crew, all before any earth moves. You'll meet the project manager overseeing your site, with foremen averaging 15+ years in their field, and your specialist stays available for questions or additions.
GPS-guided machines grade straight from your Civil 3D design, so the finished grades match the plan without relying on hand-checked grade stakes. Expect mud, ruts and a site that looks torn up for a while. That's normal. As the basin forms and the dam takes shape, the pond you approved starts to show.
Start With a Free Consultation
Talk through your goals, your land and what's realistic with a pond specialist, before anything is committed or spent.
Prefer to talk now? Call and we'll walk you through what your first steps would look like.
Our video series is a general overview to help ease you into the process. Our methods are constantly evolving with more modern, better practices, and more videos are on the way. We're always happy to share what we learn.
Since it began, we've added far more for your pond or lake: permitting and regulatory support, grants and conservation guidance, more features, professional landscaping, and aftercare for algae, aeration and long-term health, much of it in-house and the rest through our specialist network. We often offer more than you'll see online, and we're always adding to our website and social media.
So much more than the dirtwork, and no headache of tracking down multiple reputable contractors.
Watch on YouTubeAfter construction, we stay involved through finishing, follow-up and anything that comes up along the way, including changes, additions or surprises underground, with the same team you've worked with from the start.
Rules for ponds, dams, waterways and wetlands keep changing. What wasn't a rule yesterday can be a new regulation today. Many contractors steer clear of permitting entirely and leave the landowner to sort it out. We don't. We have the connections and the expertise to help, and we'll support you through it as your project needs or as you request.
Every project and every owner's priorities are different. Which route you take is ultimately your decision, and we'll honor your requests as best we can. Our recommendation is always to follow the rules, and whatever you decide, you'll have a team beside you that knows this side of the work.
Depending on where you are and what you're building, your pond or lake may open the door to grants, cost-share programs, conservation incentives and other benefits. We help you find what's worth pursuing and support you along the way.
We help you look into grants, cost-share and other funding opportunities that may be available for ponds, lakes and wetlands, and back your application with the design and site data it calls for.
Wildlife habitat, wetlands, erosion control and cleaner water can qualify for conservation programs in many areas. We highly recommend exploring the advantages available where you live.
We're familiar working with regulatory agencies, states and cities, so the process feels less like a maze and more like a plan.
Always worth considering, never required. These programs take time and effort, so whether they're right for you depends on your values and how much you'd like to invest. We'll always suggest you consider them, and we'll respect your call either way.
Ask What's Available Near YouWe build with natural clay and with heavy-duty synthetic liners, and there's no one-size answer. The right build depends on the purpose of the water, the soil and site conditions, the site's history, and the terms agreed on in contract.
Our standard clay process separates topsoil from clay during excavation, then builds the dam with a compacted clay core trench.
Not every pond is built this way, and not every one should be. Excavated pit ponds hold water without a traditional dam, and check dams and dikes are often designed to seep on purpose.
How we build a large pond or lake →
A synthetic liner is material engineered to be waterproof. With a professional installation, it's the closest option to waterproof, rather than relying on the soil. The liner covers the entire basin and runs up the dam, so a clay core trench is often unnecessary.
Spring-fed ponds may need water management beneath the liner, and some sites need gas venting. Venting is most common on existing pond rebuilds and muck-removal makeovers, where buried material keeps producing gas no matter how well it's compacted.
Explore acreage pond lining →Bentonite on request. We also build with bentonite when an owner prefers it, though we rarely recommend it. It has to be applied to the manufacturer's exact specifications, and it's rarely as economical as a heavy-duty liner or a well-built clay core.
No two sites are the same, and neither is the right build. Every pond and lake we design starts with the soil, the water and the history of the land it sits on.
Not Sure Whether Clay or a Liner Fits Your Land?
Your soil, water source and site history decide it. Soil borings and lab testing show what your ground can hold before you commit to a build.
See a leaking pond rebuilt with a synthetic liner in Liberty, MO →
Not every site has enough suitable clay to build a dependable dam, and trucking clay in can be one of the biggest costs of a project. So we developed our own answer, using a barrier material engineered to be waterproof and a professional installation.
Watch This Is the Best Way to Fix a Leaking Pond or Lake
Every overflow is not made equal. Each pond has its own water source, watershed, hydrostatic pressure, uses and values, so choosing the overflow is part of planning the build, weighed on function, tradeoffs and budget.
It's a complex topic, and we're glad to walk through it with you, on your phone consultation and again during your site evaluation and planning. Don't be afraid to ask any question you'd like. We'll gladly walk beside you and help you bring your vision to life.
Finished ponds, lakes and waterfronts we've designed and built, along with a look at the design work behind them.
Tap any photo to see it full screen.
Many of our clients are high-profile or simply prefer to keep their property private, so a large share of the ponds and lakes we build never make it online. The projects we do feature are here for documentation, proof of work and inspiration.
Don't see what you have in mind? Reach out and ask. We're always adding new projects and information to the site, so check back often.
Bridging the Gap Between the Land and Your Imagination
Pond and lake projects in: Gardner, KS Liberty, MO Grain Valley, MO Leavenworth, KS Perry, KS Melvern, KS Centerville, KS Prairie Grove, AR Oklahoma
