Pond Management
Top five rules for “do-it-yourselfers”
By Greg Blackham
Whether you’ve recently stepped into a new role as parks manager or simply decided to give more attention to the aesthetic needs of the facilities, there’s a good chance your responsibilities include overseeing a lake or stormwater pond. Maintaining a fully interactive aquatic ecosystem that will be aesthetically pleasing, functional, and safe for the community can be daunting! While some people choose to take this on “in-house,” either to cut costs or because they enjoy the challenge, it’s important to recognize possible complications that make professional intervention necessary.
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / denisfilm
There’s no true “how-to” guide for the management of freshwater resources; each waterbody and the challenges that come with it are completely unique. However, all lakes and ponds can benefit from proactive, sustainable management efforts. Here are some rules of thumb that can benefit every parks manager:
1. Identify and maintain lake and pond structures. Lakes and stormwater ponds are valued focal points in parks, but improperly working structures can pose incredible dangers for children and adults. This is why most stormwater-management facilities are required to comply with legislation set forth through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Get to know the waterbodies under your care by regularly walking the perimeter and taking note of the dimensions, surface acreage, existing features, and current conditions.
If you identify any cracked or broken pipes, grates or structures, it’s important to address these issues with the assistance of a professional lake manager, who has the knowledge and access to advanced equipment, electrical services, and premium solutions. Likewise, arranging annual inspections can help ensure equipment is properly maintained and to avoid steep fines and potential lawsuits associated with non-compliance.
2. Assess and introduce vegetation. In addition to structures, it’s important to regularly assess vegetation around a shoreline. Native flowering plants and grasses are excellent buffers that help filter runoff and pollutants, deter geese, and reduce erosion. Consider introducing common species like pickerelweed, cardinal flower, blueflag iris, or other native plants, and allow them to grow—unmowed—3 to 5 feet from the shoreline. In addition to planting being a fun activity to host with community members, it can also serve as an opportunity to educate children about environmental preservation and protection.
Alternatively, if the shoreline areas are overrun by trees, woody bushes, or invasive vegetation, they can de-stabilize the shoreline, threaten the balance of the ecosystem, and lead to stormwater incompliance. In the event that undesirable plant or tree growth is identified, it’s important to devise a solution customized to the specific needs of the property. Solutions may include physical species removal or use of EPA-registered herbicides to selectively target the undesirable growth without impacting native plant-life. Implementing a living shoreline using patented “SOX” knitted-mesh system or other long-lasting stabilization technologies also can be considered.
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / PurpleQueue
3. Monitor and enhance water quality. Take a look at the water itself, noting the color, clarity, and odor. Undesirable characteristics can indicate a lake or pond is suffering from imbalanced water quality. Without proper intervention, these conditions can lead to the development of nuisance algae blooms, including those that create toxins known to kill pets and wildlife and endanger human health. Parks managers can maintain the health and aesthetics of water resources by limiting the organic pollution that contributes to these imbalances. Installing trash cans and dog-waste stations will help facilitate proper disposal. Collecting yard waste and reducing the use of lawn fertilizers, which contain nutrients that fuel algae, can also make a significant impact on the health of nearby waterbodies.
Ultimately, regular water-quality testing by a licensed professional is often the most effective way to predict and proactively address dangerous water-quality issues before they become a serious community-health problem. Likewise, investments in sustainable, proactive tools like fountains and aeration, nutrient remediation, beneficial bacteria applications, and dissolved oxygen treatments using new nanobubble technologies can significantly outweigh steep costs and downtime associated with frequent reactive-management options.
4. Implement advanced tools for long-lasting beauty. Note what’s happening below the water’s surface. For instance, stubborn water-quality issues, eroded shorelines, and recurring flooding often indicate a pond has lost valuable depth through sedimentation. Over time, dirt, debris, and pollutants are swept into the waterbody during weather events, causing a reduction in total volume. Eventually, costly dredging may be the only option available to restore the waterbody to its original condition.
Luckily, these common sedimentation problems can be detected early during annual assessments or with additional tools like bathymetric mapping, a process by which professionals plot and model the unique contours of a pond’s bottom. When mapping data indicate that sediment build-up has become too great, a mechanical hydro-rake can be deployed to spot-treat as needed. A hydro-rake is a floating barge equipped with attachments that can scoop up hundreds of pounds of muck and debris out of the waterbody. Hydro-raking can help remove years of build-up and increase the longevity of the lake or pond.
5. Lean on the knowledge of a professional. Like the rest of a parks manager’s responsibilities, it’s important to understand the unique characteristics, challenges, and benefits of lake or stormwater pond systems. Contributing to the management of these systems can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Many educational materials exist to help illustrate the ways in which you can protect the health and beauty of community waterbodies.
Greg Blackham is an Aquatic Specialist at SOLitude Lake Management.