Building the world’s best retention pond may result in awards and accolades from the community. Yet, a beautiful part of the natural landscape can quickly become a cesspool or weed-choked pit if it goes without maintenance. While a liner made from RPE goes a long way in reducing the maintenance needs of the pond, it can’t completely replace the following common chores.
Remove Trash Regularly
The most important maintenance task for a retention pond’s function and beauty is trash removal. All of these ponds eventually accumulate debris and trash since they’re commonly located near roadways and connected to waterways. When food wrappers or bits of paper clog up the inlets and outlets, the pond will flood or fill up to the point of overflow. Many retention pond managers outsource this task to community improvement groups who handle it by visiting monthly to fish out what’s accessible. These monthly inspections can also work to alert you of trash that must be removed professionally, but they’re not a substitute for real inspections every six months or less.
Dredge and Deal with Sludge
With careful design and the use of traps and baffles, it should be possible to go years between dredging services for the pond. Heavy use retention ponds may need dredging every year or so if there’s no better way to keep silt and debris out. Dredging is expensive and puts wear and tear on the liner, so it’s best to reduce the number of times it’s needed in a 10-year period. Lined ponds are much easier to dredge than unlined installations since there’s a clear and definitive barrier between the soil and the sludge.
Clean Out Silt Traps and Screens
Don’t let any silt traps or screens designed to keep sludge out of the pond become overwhelmed with time. Not only will this cause the silt to spill into the pond inside, but it can also result in clogs that force storm water to back up elsewhere. Silt traps may need cleaning on a monthly basis, or just once a year, depending entirely on how much exposed soil is part of the watershed for the retention pond. Make sure they’re inspected regularly since changes miles from the pond could suddenly result in a change in the volume of silt.
Adjusting the Plant Populations
Finally, it may be necessary to remove certain plants and spread the new growth of others at least once a year in the spring or fall. Careful balancing of water plants and any plants added around the edges can maintain a healthier environment for years to come. Many retention ponds won’t need this kind of attention every year but should still be inspected seasonally for any early signs of infestations of invasive plants.
Conclusion
Decorative retention ponds can be a welcome part of any neighborhood or development project, but only with care during the design phase. Waiting until a pond has become unattractive or developed functional problems will only make it harder to bring it around to a natural and decorative state. Start off on the right foot with geomembrane materials from BTL Liners, that make it easier to both build and maintain the retention pond.
