As spring is upon us and summertime is just around the corner, it is important to get a checkup from a pond management professional. Have any pond maintenance and cleaning done early before your pond’s appearance deteriorates and becomes more time-consuming and expensive to fix! Every summer when the warmer months hit we come across numerous issues that could have been prevented by planning for the future. Looking ahead and planning for success will prevent small problems from turning into major issues, and allow a pond management professional to serve you on a quicker timeline before your guest want to get in the water!
1. Check your equipment and make sure it is all working properly!
- Fountains and lights
- Aerators
- Control panels
- All cables
It is best to check these items on a regular schedule throughout the year, but especially important to be ready for summer.
- Create a plan for management
It is a good idea to look back at previous years and remember what sort of issues the water has faced before; the past is a good predictor of the future!
- Does your pond/lake usually have algae issues?
- Too many plants?
- Invasive plants found before?
Get help from a professional to develop a plan to manage known issues before they have an impact and prevent summertime fun! There are many ways to manage in a predictive way, instead of a reactive way – often the reactive way is more costly, destructive, takes longer to make it right, and stressful for you! Take the pain out of pond management by creating a good plan and working with professionals.
- Watch for development in your area
As Northern Texas continues to see more construction and development it may have an impact on your water and an increase in sedimentation. If you are aware of construction starting, or continuing, near your water there are steps you can take to help protect you from failed best management practices (or BMPs). Some BMPs that can fail during construction and negatively impact your water are:
- Silt fencing
- Earth dikes
- Seeding & mulching
- Sediment traps & basins
These practices don’t have to fail completely to impact you; even a slight failure can have an impact. Severe and/or unpredictable weather can exacerbate the issues.
4. Get your water quality checked
Depending on your goals for your pond/lake, water quality monitoring could be necessary for you to have an awareness of. Taking a simple reading or two of your water quality before the season will give you an insight into what sort of issues you may be faced with once the weather gets warmer and problems can be more dire. Understanding the effects and predictors that nutrients, dissolved oxygen, and other parameters have on your surface water is key for proper management – as an owner, this knowledge is extremely powerful in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
5. Meet with governing bodies to discuss future plans/possibilities, visions, & funds
Lake and/or homeowners associations need to have frequent conversations about their plans for their surface waters. As proper maintenance and monitoring can be costly it is important to work with professionals to ensure that budgeting can be done to make these actions manageable, affordable, and altogether less stressful!
At PondMedics we are here to help you in managing, monitoring, and servicing your ponds and lakes. Making your life easier and allowing you to enjoy your water as much as possible is our goal!
Reach out today for a consultation or even just to ask a question – we are here for you!
