With many states requiring little to no features that would be purely decorative for retention ponds, it’s no wonder so many are just blank constructions of concrete and polymer liner. Yet, both new and existing retention ponds are easily adapted to being decorative water features with only a handful of changes. Not every retention pond will need all of the following decorative features but using as many of them as possible will help give it a naturalized look that lasts for years. Consider these options for decorating retention ponds without interrupting the intended storm water containment purpose.
Planting the Banks and Shelves
All retention ponds should feature shelves, which are shallow areas around the edges of the banks to allow animals and people to easily climb out of the water if they fall in. These shelves are ideal for planting, even if the banks themselves are completely covered with polymer liners and concrete barriers. Planting the banks doesn’t have to mean foregoing a liner either. BTL Liners has plenty of flexible and impermeable liners that can handle buried installation with plants. Add a foot or more of quality soil over the liner to create a perfectly natural looking retention pond with the reliability of an impermeable barrier. Proper plant selection goes a long way in protecting the liner from damage in the long run from deep growing roots and other issues.
Adding Rock Work
Whether it’s layers of fine gravel or the installation of strategically placed large boulders, adding rocks to a retention pond immediately helps it look more natural. There’s a common misconception that installing decorative rock work around a retention pond will make it difficult or even impossible to maintain the pond. However, it’s easy enough to limit the rock work primarily to areas away from dredging and maintenance access points. Leave baffles and filter boxes exposed and stick to decorating banks where access should be discouraged anyway. This makes the most of the rock work without causing issues of access for heavy machinery. With the right kind of combination of rocks and geomembrane liners, it’s possible to actually make it easier to maintain and access the pond without damaging the banks.
Naturalizing the Design
Avoid straight lines and routine curves when designing a retention pond if you want to blend into the background. Try nooks and crannies tucked into the edges and corners that mimic the unevenness of a natural pond. Installing coves, islands, extra shelves, and other natural features can encourage a healthy ecosystem and make new opportunities for adding plant life. Other opportunities for adding more natural features to a retention pond design include submerging logs, installing fish shelters, and creating nesting opportunities for waterfowl.
Attracting Wildlife
Bringing in wildlife can make a retention pond both more attractive and more valuable to the larger ecosystem. However, some wildlife and domestic animals attracted to water sources like this can become nuisances as well. Therefore, it’s necessary to design the pond to only attract compatible wildlife like songbirds, small waterfowl, and amphibians. Fencing may be necessary to keep cattle, pets, and animals like raccoons and ducks away from the water so they can’t cause water quality issues.
Building Fountains and Other Features
Fountains and other water features, like waterfalls, may seem like solely decorative features. However, they’re easier to justify as an investment for the pond’s function when you consider the aeration and circulation encouraged by these additions. The right fountain or other feature could keep a retention pond from becoming anaerobic and developing odor issues in particular. Many features don’t require electricity and can be used on any pond due to solar or battery powered options.
Maintaining Better Water Quality
All efforts to improve the general water quality of a retention pond will also contribute to a more attractive feature in general. Clear and darker colored water is always more visually appealing than milky, cloudy, or green water. Ponds producing unpleasant odors aren’t very attractive either, but practices to improve water quality can control and prevent these problems in the first place.
Controlling Mosquitoes and Algae
Algae is rarely a real problem in a retention pond, but it is unsightly and may contribute to odor issues. On the other hand, mosquitoes are less visible but are a more serious problem due to their potential to spread disease. Both problems need to be controlled with similar measures. Adding in inexpensive and tough fish like mosquito fish and bluegill will help control both insect larvae and algae. Chemical controls can be used both with and without fish to keep these issues under control as well. Proper design with vegetation around the pond’s edges, especially in the shelves just under the water, also traps nutrients as they enter the water so there’s less to trigger an algae bloom. This creates passive treatment zones much like constructed wetlands without requiring extensive alterations to the pond’s design.
All of these methods and more work best when applied to a lined retention pond. Use BTL Liner’s products to build long-lasting and attractive ponds. We have fish-safe and plant-safe liner options to help create naturalized retention basins and features that blend into the landscape.
