Detention and retention ponds are not just big holes. They are designed volumes with compacted clay benches, engineered emergency spillways, and outlet controls sized to the contributing drainage area. Pick the wrong basin type and you either pay for maintenance you didn't budget or fail the stormwater inspection you have to pass.
We build four main kinds of stormwater basin in the Upstate. Wet ponds hold a permanent pool and treat runoff long-term. Dry detention basins sit empty most of the year and only store water during storms. Bioretention cells filter smaller flows through engineered soil and plants. Sediment basins are temporary construction-phase traps that keep mud off the road and out of the stream.
The right choice comes down to your drainage area, your soils, how much room you have, and what the approved stormwater plan calls for. We walk the site with you, review the plan, and recommend the basin — or combination — that keeps you compliant without overspending.
We do not stamp plans or act as the engineer of record. We build to your approved stormwater plan, coordinate with your civil engineer, and keep the work permit-ready for SCDHEC-NPDES and county stormwater review. If you don't have plans yet, we'll tell you exactly what you need before anything gets dug.
Systems we install
Not sure which one fits your property? That's our job. We walk the site with you, look at the soil and the slope, and recommend the system — or combination of systems — that actually solves the problem. No upsell, no guesswork.
Best for: Commercial sites, subdivisions, permanent water treatment
A permanent pool of water with landscaped side slopes and a stable outlet structure. Wet ponds treat pollutants between storms and look like a planned landscape feature once established. Higher maintenance than dry basins, but the best long-term water quality option when you have the room.
Best for: Residential developments, schools, parking lots with limited space
Grass-bottomed basins that sit dry most of the year and only store runoff during a storm. They slow peak discharge to pre-development rates and are usually the lowest-maintenance option for sites that just need volume control, not permanent treatment.
Best for: Parking lot islands, small commercial sites, tight footprints
Shallow excavated areas filled with engineered soil, gravel, and native plants that filter and slow smaller runoff flows. Often called rain gardens, they handle water quality at the source and fit where a full pond won't.
Best for: Active construction sites, land-disturbance permits, phased developments
Temporary settling ponds built to trap sediment-laden runoff before it leaves the site. Required on most land-disturbance jobs, and built to be cleaned out or converted to permanent stormwater control as the project moves forward.
Why it matters
Built to SCDHEC and county stormwater standards with as-built documentation.
Outlet structures sized so peak discharge matches predevelopment rates.
Properly compacted clay liners and rip-rap armoring at high-velocity points.
We meet the inspector on-site and turn the punch list around in days, not weeks.
Our process
Step 01
Topo shoot, soil borings if needed, confirm seasonal high water table.
Step 02
Coordinate with your engineer on volume, spillway elevation, outlet type.
Step 03
Track-hoe excavation, off-haul or on-site spoil placement, bench compaction.
Step 04
Spillway pour, outlet install, riprap, native seed mix on side slopes.
Straight answers
Volume, soil, and outlet structure. How much water the plan requires you to hold, what we hit when we dig, and what the engineered outlet and spillway have to be. We price off the approved plan and put it in writing before we mobilize.
A small residential detention basin can be a week. A commercial pond with an engineered riser, anti-seep collar, emergency spillway, and riprap armoring typically runs two to five weeks depending on weather and inspection timing.
For stormwater retention or detention on a development, almost always. That means a stamped stormwater plan and land-disturbance approval, and often SCDHEC involvement. We build to the approved plan and coordinate with your engineer — we don't design around the permit.
Yes, and dam work in particular benefits from cooler weather. What we watch is soil moisture: clay has to be placed and compacted near optimum moisture, so a stretch of hard rain will push placement days. We plan the sequence around that instead of fighting it.
The stormwater plan and grading plan if you have them, the permit status, and site access. If you don't have plans yet, we'll walk the site and tell you what you'll need before anything gets dug.
Where we do it
Often paired with
Pretty water with working bones. Naturalistic shorelines you'll fish from in three years.
Take back the overgrown 30 acres your grandfather cleared. We pull stumps, grade contours, reseed.
Rip rap, geocell, retaining walls, and hydroseeding — every method to lock down slopes and channels on new developments.
Free quote within ~1 hour during daylight.
