So You Think You Want a Pond?

1. So You Think You Want a Pond? Developed by: Susan Donaldson University of Nevada Cooperative Extension USDA NRCS

2. What we’ll cover • What is a pond? • Why have a pond? • Types of ponds • Pond requirements and issues • Site considerations • Water quality, vegetation and fish • Maintaining your pond

3. What’s a pond? • Lake: more than 10 acres • Pond: less than 10 acres • Pond: manmade • Arbitrary distinction - smaller than a lake! UNCE, Reno, Nev.

4. Why do you want to have a pond? • Irrigation water storage (is it legal?) • Stock watering • Aesthetics • Wildlife habitat • Fish production • Recreation • Fire suppression, etc. USDA NRCS

5. Pros and cons of pond ownership • Aesthetics versus ugliness • Water storage versus legal issues • Livestock watering versus water quality • Recreation versus public health, safety, risk management • Habitat versus nuisance species USDA NRCS

6. Ponds are a lot of work! UNCE, Reno, Nev.

7. Types of ponds • In-stream dammed ponds () • Excavated, off-stream ponds • Empoundments • Water features (not included in this presentation) USDA NRCS

8. Contemplating a pond? • Consider water sources • Surface runoff • Streams • Springs • Groundwater • Wells • Seeps USDA NRCS

9. Water use • Do you have the right to an adequate amount of water to keep the pond filled during hot weather? • How much evaporation will occur from the water surface? • No water, no pond! USDA NRCS

10. Laws and liabilities • Check on local and state laws regarding liability and other issues • Check your CC&Rs • Check with your insurer USDA NCRS

11. Permits • Obtain needed permits • Water rights • Excavation • Pollution • Army Corps of Engineers • Etc. USDA NCRS

12. Neighboring issues USDA NRCS

13. You still think you want a pond? USDA NRCS

14. Soil type Bottom soils and seepage: • Fine-textured clays and silty clays work best • Sandy soils won’t hold water • If bottom materials are not suitable, the rate of water loss may be unacceptable

15. Site considerations – potential hazards www.earthponds.com

16. More site considerations • Keep pond at least 100 feet from a septic leach field • Don’t build on top of buried pipelines, cables or utilities • Site should be accessible for maintenance • Pond should fit into the design for the rest of your landscaping USDA NRCS

17. Depth and size issues • A deeper pond has less nuisance weed growth and less temperature fluctuation • For fish habitat, a pond should be deep enough to avoid winter freezing issues • Keep pond at least 3 feet deep to avoid cattail encroachment • Size of the pond depends on water availability, CC&Rs, risk and insurance costs, etc.

18. Health issues • Flow rate and stagnation • Mosquito habitat • Disease UNCE, Reno, Nev.

19. Water quality issues • Ponds may be a source of water quality impairment • Sediment • Nutrients • Temperature UNCE, Reno, Nev.

20. Water quality issues: hot springs ponds • These ponds are filled with thermal waters • Water quality is likely to be poor, with high levels of minerals • Your neighbors may complain about odors • The water is not suitable for fish

21. Safety issues • Emergency spillway: how much water does the spillway hold? • More severe events may destroy a dam • Will the failure threaten your home or someone else's home? UNCE, Reno, Nev. USDA NRCS

22. Vegetation issues • Identify your plants • Select species for revegetation • Learn about plant management needs and longevity • Manage invasive species USDA NRCS

23. Fish-stocking issues • When stocking, consider water quality needs • Temperature • Dissolved oxygen • pH • Nutrients USDA NRCS

24. Fish-stocking issues • Permit requirements – contact local fisheries department or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Appropriate species • Fish needs • Stocking rates • Best time to stock USDA NRCS

25. Maintaining your pond USDA NRCS

26. Sediment accumulation • Consider periodic dredging, perhaps every five to 10 years • To decrease sediment accumulations, never construct a pond within a stream • Control sediment in inflow water USDA NRCS

27. Muddy water Determine the cause: • Remove fish that are rooting around • Fence out livestock • Establish moderate growth of vegetation including rushes, sedge and cattails to protect pond banks from erosion USDA NRCS

28. Muddy water Determine the cause: • Keep domestic ducks and geese away from the pond • Maintain good vegetative cover throughout the watershed • Plant windbreaks to decrease wind-related wave action www.morningsidepark.org

29. Muddy water from clay particles • Apply alum or other materials • Add organic matter (barley hay) www.conservect.org

30. Leaky ponds • Determine the cause • For porous soils, use bentonite clay applied to dry pond soils at a rate of 1 to 3 pounds per square foot of basin • Incorporate the clay into the soil using a rototiller or disk, then compact it with a “sheep’s foot” roller or soil compactor

31. Leaky ponds • Commercial pond liners are available, but are expensive • Drought conditions can cause cracking and leaking www.geomembranes.com

32. Algae A. Miller

33. Algae • Planktonic • Filamentous • Attached (periphyton) Big Bear Municipal Water District www.aquaticsystems.us www.epa.gov

34. www.pca.state.mn.us aquaplant.tamu.edu Filamentous algae Blue-green algae Nuisance algae

35. Tips for controlling algae • Reduce nutrients, especially phosphorus • Try biological controls, such as barley straw – may not be effective • Improve pond aeration • Remove by hand (for filamentous algae) • Apply chemicals

36. Excess aquatic vegetation UNCE, Reno, Nev.

37. Excess aquatic vegetation • Consider mechanical removal or sterile grass carp to eat plants. • Check with your fisheries department to see if permits are needed. www.thebestlinks.com

38. Excess aquatic vegetation • Chemical controls www.dunnsfishfarm.com www.macarthurwatergardens.com

39. Fish kills Causes include: • Lack of dissolved oxygen (summer problem) • Decaying aquatic vegetation • Hot water • Chemical contamination • Diseases www.epa.qld.gov.au

40. Tips for avoiding fish kills • Consider adding an aeration system to increase dissolved oxygen • Avoid using toxic materials and fertilizers adjacent to the pond • Don’t make lawn pesticide applications in the pond drainage area if it will rain, or if you irrigate with pond water • Fence out grazing animals

41. Wildlife damage • Burrowing animals • Muskrats and beavers • Nuisance fish, fish diseases and parasites • Waterfowl, especially Canada geese (manure, aggressive males, honking, etc.) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

42. Wildlife damage If you provide water, they will come! • To the pond itself • To other parts of your property U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

43. Aquatic plants at the surface can provide shelter for mosquito larvae Shallow water less than 1 inch deep can provide a safe place for mosquito larvae to grow Plants hanging into the pond can provide shelter for mosquito larvae Mosquitoes Graphic adapted from www.mosquitoes.org by A. Miller

44. Tips for mosquito prevention • Add mosquito-eating fish • Don’t let plants touch the water surface • Avoid fertilizer and nutrient contamination of the pond www.ventura.org

45. Tips for preventing pond problems • Don’t build one in the first place! • Fence livestock out of the pond and provide an alternate freeze-proof, year-round watering source USDA NRCS

46. Tips for preventing pond problems • Maintain deep pond edges to deter the growth of aquatic weeds (3 to 4 feet) • Maintain healthy vegetation on the margins of the pond • Manage your pond to minimize problem algae that may shelter mosquitoes. Nutrient control will help reduce algae blooms.

47. Homework • Inventory your pond. • What’s growing on the banks? • What’s growing in the water? • How deep is the pond? • What temperature is the water? • Do the jar test. • If you don’t have a pond, write your own personal pro and con list.