Leak Diagnosis & Dam Repair
We find where and why your pond is losing water — core failure, dam seepage, a bad spillway — and repair it, not just patch the symptom.
Leak Repair · Dam Rebuilds · Clean-Outs — Statewide Arkansas
Ponds that won't hold water — we fix why.
Most leaking ponds were built wrong the first time — no core trench, a dam that isn't keyed, fill pushed up loose instead of compacted. We fix it to the same spec we build new ponds to, and we clean out old ponds that have silted in and gone shallow. Based in Greers Ferry lake country, working statewide. And when you call, a Cox answers.
Building & Repairing Ponds Since1972 · three generations
AR Contractor License#3287-C Commercial · Active
NRCS Practice StandardRepairs built to code 378
Rock In The Way?Hydrohammer · no blasting
Why ponds fail
If it won't hold water,
it wasn't built right.
Here's the honest truth: most leaking ponds were never built to hold. No core trench cut down to tight material. A dam that was never keyed into that core. Fill that got pushed up into a pile instead of compacted in lifts. Any one of those leaves water a path out. We fix leaking ponds to the exact same spec we build new ones to — the spec NRCS calls practice standard 378 — because that's the only spec that actually works.
Beyond the core, we handle the rest of what fails on a dam: dam repairs and full rebuilds, spillway problems that let storm water cut a new channel, erosion on the dam face, and trees that have grown into the dam — roots are leak paths, so we pull them and rebuild that section right, not patch around them.
Old ponds silt in. Years of runoff turn a four-foot pond into knee-deep muck. A clean-out is how you fix that: we pump or drain it down, excavate the silt and muck, deepen and reshape the basin, and haul the spoil off on our own tri-axle trucks — or spread it on your ground, your choice. Banks get rebuilt and any dam touch-ups happen while the pond's already empty. A clean-out is the one time to fix everything at once, because the pond is already down.
Working with NRCS or your county conservation district? Repairs and rebuilds are done to practice standard 378, and cost-share can apply to qualifying renovation work. Your county NRCS office is the authority on that — start there, or read our plain-words guide to NRCS pond cost-share.
Sometimes a rebuild beats a repair. New ponds start from $10,000 — we'll tell you straight which one your pond needs.
50+ yrsBuilding and repairing Arkansas ponds — est. 1972
3Generations of Coxes on the dozer today
378NRCS pond practice code — repairs built to standard
0Blast permits needed — hydrohammer breaks the rock
Pond repair & clean-out scope
From diagnosis
to dry, deepened, and full again.
Core Trench & Keyed-Dam Rebuilds
The same spec we build new ponds to: cut down to tight material, dam keyed into it, fill compacted in lifts. This is what actually stops a leak for good.
Pond Clean-Out & Dredging
Pump or drain it down, excavate the silt and muck, haul the spoil off on our own tri-axle trucks or spread it on your ground — your call.
Deepening & Reshaping
Silted-in ponds get shallow over the years. We deepen the basin and reshape the banks while it's already drained down.
Spillway & Erosion Repair
Undersized or damaged spillways, eroded dam faces — rebuilt and sized to handle the storm that's coming, not the one that already hit.
Full Renovation to NRCS Spec
Dam, core, spillway and basin all handled in one mobilization, built to NRCS practice standard 378 — cost-share can apply to qualifying work.
Get us to your ground
Talk to a Cox
about your pond.
Call the shop — a Cox answers501.250.4490
Email[email protected]
Shop50 Fort Cox Rd, Heber Springs, AR 72543
ServingAll of Arkansas — Ozarks to the Delta
Best first stepText photos of the site + what the pond's doing (low, muddy, won't fill…)
Book a site walk
Step 1 of 3 — what's going on with your pond?
Where & when
Step 2 of 3 — so the right machine shows up.
Timeline
Who do we call back?
Step 3 of 3 — we'll call you back to set up the walk.
Pond repair questions, straight answers
What Arkansas pond owners
ask us.
Why won't my pond hold water?
Almost always because it wasn't built right the first time. No core trench cut to tight material, a dam that isn't keyed into that core, or fill that was pushed up loose instead of compacted in lifts — any one of those leaves water a path out. Tree roots growing into a dam do the same thing over time. The fix is the same spec we build new ponds to: core trench, keyed dam, compaction, done to NRCS practice standard 378.
Can you fix it without draining it completely?
Honestly, most real dam repairs need the pond down. You can't cut a core trench or key a dam rebuild through standing water. Pumping and draining it down is part of the job — we bring the pumps, get it low, and get to work on what's actually failing.
What does a pond clean-out cost?
There's no flat price — it's priced by the site walk: what's failing, how much muck there is, and where the spoil goes. For reference, our published rates run excavators $160–$300/hr, dozers $165–$340/hr, the hydraulic hammer $425/hr, and tri-axle trucks $130/hr, with an 8-hour minimum, operator and fuel included. Pond size, muck depth, wet vs. drained, spoil destination, dam access and rock all move the number. We'll walk your ground and give you a real one, free. Prices are subject to change. Call 501-250-4490.
What happens to the muck?
Your choice. We haul it off on our own tri-axle fleet — see our hauling & trucking rates — or we spread it on your ground if you've got a place for it. Either way it's handled in the same mobilization as the clean-out.
When's the best time for a pond repair or clean-out?
Dry season — late summer through fall. The pond is naturally low, the ground carries the iron, and a drained repair or clean-out doesn't fight incoming water the whole time. Call ahead of the season; the calendar fills.
Should I repair my pond or rebuild it?
We'll give you a straight answer at the site walk. Some ponds are worth fixing; some have failed so many ways that a rebuild beats a repair. New ponds start from $10,000 — sometimes a rebuild beats a repair, and we'll tell you straight which one your pond needs.