Dirtwork term
Retention Pond
also called: wet pond, stock pond
Excavated pond that holds water permanently, with storage capacity above the normal pool for storm events.
A retention pond holds water as a permanent feature, normal pool sits in the bowl all the time, additional capacity is available above it for storm events. Used for commercial site stormwater storage, amenity ponds in subdivisions, and ranch stock ponds across East Texas.
The bowl shape, watershed acreage, and freeboard above normal pool drive the storage capacity. The bank slope, riprap or vegetation at the waterline, and the outflow structure (spillway or pipe) drive long-term stability.
In East Texas, stock pond construction is a standard ranch dirtwork item, what makes one hold for 30 years versus one that goes dry in 3 is mostly the watershed sizing and the soil at the bottom. Clay holds water; sandy soil leaks. We've dug a lot of both.
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Retention Pond comes up on excavation jobs all over East Texas.
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When you need it
When retention pond comes up on a job
A retention pond is what you build when the plan wants a pond that keeps a permanent pool. It is for stormwater, for livestock, or for the look of the place, not one that empties out between storms.
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Related terms
Other words that come up alongside this one
Detention Basin
Excavated basin sized to temporarily hold stormwater and release it slowly to a downstream system.
Watershed
The area of land that drains to a single low point, every drop of rain that falls inside it ends up at the same place.
Freeboard
The vertical distance between the design water surface in a pond or basin and the top of the bank, safety margin for big storms.
Spoils
Excavated material that's left over after cut-and-fill on a project, hauled off or stockpiled for later use.
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