Common outdoor activities often revolve around water. People flock to the beach on hot days, enjoy wading into a lake or fish along a river's edge, for instance. Humans have natural connections to water especially with most of the Earth being covered by it in the first place. If you're thinking of adding a water feature to your property, explore the viable reasons why it can be good for your health and equity value too.

1. Reduces Stress

Water features are good for your health because there's relaxation hidden within the wave patterns. The water will move in some pattern whether it's from wind, aerators or a fountain. As you watch the motion, the patterns create a calming effect. Any stress that was on your mind will be forgotten for the moment. The brain is actually focusing on the motion, which forms a meditative state in some cases.

2. Improves Your Environmental Connection

People who're concerned with the environment's health will find peace when a water feature is added to a property. Your health improves because you're making a positive impact on your immediate environment.

Water features offer fresh water to insects, including bees and butterflies, that pollinate the surrounding plants. It also cools the immediate area with water vapor, which improves any heat-island effect in the area. Add a few plants around the water feature, and you have another environmental benefit that helps you and the Earth.

3. Benefits the Mind

Similar to the Earth, humans are made mainly of water. On a primal level, being near this molecule benefits the mind because humans are naturally attracted to water. It hydrates, calms and focuses the mind on several levels.

Some scientific circles refer to this scenario as the "blue mind effect." In fact, some studies have shown that being near a water feature on a regular basis improves the memory and positively impacts concentration. Focusing on this single feature at home gives the mind a chance to relax from daily multitasking, which leads to a healthier state of mind.

4. Releases Good Hormones

The mind may be calm around water features, but it's also working on another level to enjoy the patterns and rogue occurrences along the surface. When you notice something interesting within the water's movement, the mind enjoys a dose of natural dopamine. This good hormone makes you feel energized and happy.

5. Provides Distraction

Whether you work at home or commute, most people don't enjoy the outdoors for more than an hour each day. Install a water feature, and you have an excuse to venture outdoors. By pulling yourself away from technology, chores and other responsibilities, you permit yourself to have some downtime. Watch the water feature for 10 or 15 minutes at a time to see your worries drift away.

All water features big and small will need some management over time. Contact your local pond management companies in Florida with any questions about a water feature today. Discover good health with just a simple installation in a front or backyard.

Having a water feature on your property can be a beautiful addition to the aesthetic of your home. It's relaxing to sit by a pond or lake. Plus, such features can add substantial resale value. Adding such accessories as lighting and spray elements to the mix can enhance the drama and presentation. Such items as fountains and aerations offer a number of practical benefits as well.

Maintain Water Body Health

Installing aeration of some kind in your water feature can vastly improve the overall health of the aquatic environment. It adds necessary oxygen to the water, serving to reduce bottom sediments. A buildup of these sediments releases harmful metals and gases into the water. Without adequate oxygen levels, the organic matter in your pond takes much longer to break down, leading to even more sediment. Eventually, dredging will be necessary to remove troublesome debris.

Create a Healthy Environment

The added oxygen supply that aeration adds is also beneficial to the aquatic life in your lake or pond. A process known as thermal stratification occurs in water bodies when oxygen is depleted. This stratification results in distinct layering of water caused by variations in water density. Stratification can actually cause fish kills.

Keep Excessive Algae at Bay

The aeration of your lake leads to the conversion of phosphorous to form that are inhospitable to algae. When they lose their food source, their population will lessen. In addition, the force produced by a fountain or aeration system disperses algae spores throughout your water body, often pushing them to the bottom levels where they cannot receive the sun they need to grow and multiply.

Lessens Unpleasant Odors

Relaxing next to a lake that smells bad is no one's idea of a good time. Aeration can effectively keep foul odors at bay. The oxygen produced by aeration can drastically reduce the production of the hydrogen sulfide gas that produces these noxious fumes.

Stabilizes Water Clarity

Nothing's worse than cloudy, murky water. Not only is it uninviting and unappealing, dark water can have a negative impact on the environment of your water body. As already noted, adding aeration to your water body keeps algae blooms from overtaking your lake and reduces sediment. The result is clear, sparkling water you can enjoy all season long.

As you can see, adding a fountain or aeration system to your lake or pond can make a tremendous difference. Doing so can greatly improve the health of your water feature and any aquatic life within it. It can lower the maintenance required to upkeep your water feature, as well as beautify it by keeping the water clean and odor-free. A professional lake and pond management company can help you find the best accessories for your property to get you started on the right foot.

If you're a pond owner, you know that cloudy water can be a pesky and persistent problem. While it's often a mere nuisance, there can sometimes lie larger issues beneath the surface. There are a number of issues that can contribute to murky water. Fortunately, you can also take simple, chemical-free measures to clear things up.

About Murky Pond Water
The water in your pond will become cloudier as particles of organic and inorganic matter increase over time. There's actually a measurement of the murkiness of pond water known as "turbidity." With more suspended materials comes higher levels of turbidity.

There are a number of harmless causes for turbidity to increase, particularly in the summer months as the aquatic life becomes more active. Fish are busy feeding and producing excrement. Other water creatures such as turtles or frogs dislodge debris at the pond's bottom as they forage for food.

Then, there are other turbidity issues that are more problematic. Algae blooms are one of the most challenging culprits. They can quickly grow out of control. It can be even more of a problem with newer ponds whose ecosystems are just beginning to develop.

Tips to Clear Cloudy Ponds
Though mucky water is usually a harmless aesthetic issue, it's good practice to determine the cause so that you can combat it in the future. The first step you should take is to test your pond's water. You can buy a pond testing kit that will measure a variety of factors, including KH, ammonia concentrations, nitrate levels and pH. A pond management company can help you to determine the best levels for your particular goals.

A common cause of murky water is sludge and debris. Sludge is the organic matter that typically settles on the bottom of the pond. For example, leaves are a large source of sludge. They end up on the bottom and gradually decay. Oxygenating plants in the water can usually control sludge accumulation. However, when there is too much sludge, a vicious cycle can occur. It becomes a food source for harmful organisms, allowing them to propagate. You can greatly reduce the debris that causes pond sludge with pond netting and using skimmers to remove large pieces. A pond vacuum can also help.

Having a well-working filtration system is also key to managing murkiness. It can remove many of the particles before they build up and lead to high turbidity. If your pond is high in ammonia, optimizing your filtration system can help. Your filter should be the right size for your body of water. Also, consider your biological filter media. A fine medium like poly wool is efficient at filtering extremely murky water.

Removing excess algae is another step you can take to clear your pond. If there is a thick buildup on the surface, it can disrupt the aquatic life in your pond by blocking the light, which can negatively affect pH levels and remove nutrients from food sources. UV clarifiers can work to clear overgrown algae blooms.

Keep these steps in mind when addressing murky pond water. These are only a few of the ways to deal with this problem. Enlisting the assistance of a qualified pond management company is your best bet for tackling more problematic ponds.

​Most people know about Florida's beautiful ocean beaches, but Florida also has a lot to offer in terms of freshwater thanks to the numerous lakes throughout the state. Many of the lakes offer beautiful backdrops and pleasant conditions, making them ideal for boat owners and boat activities. Locals and visitors bring their boats to their favorite lake, hoping to arrive before the crowds. When people leave for the day, they leave pollution behind. The pollution continues to grow as more and more people vacation in the area, creating an environmental risk as well as a risk to the local economy if the tourism value decreases thanks to excessive pollution.

Dispose of Garbage Properly
Do not throw garbage into the lake under any circumstances. Bring bags with you on the boat to store waste until you get back to shore where you can dispose of the waste in the proper receptacle.

If you forget a garbage bag, you should be aware that Florida has some of the strictest littering laws in the country. If you do litter, even if you do it out of necessity, you can wind up with a hefty fine.

Hire a Lake Management Company
Lakes require maintenance throughout the entire year Lakes with high pollution will require maintenance more often than average. Instead of taking on the immense responsibility yourself, hire a lake management company to manage the lake for you. Not only will they stay on top of appointments, but they'll also have the knowhow to ensure that you get the best results.

Create Visitor Restrictions
If you manage a private lake in Florida, you can benefit from tracking the people who enter and exit your property.

More people means more pollution thanks in large part to the gas from boats. Use local resources to determine how many people you want to allow onto the premises at a time.

New visitors can enter as earlier visitors leave.

Reduce Waste of Hazardous Materials
It's not wrong to enjoy yourself in a gas-powered boat. However, you should take it upon yourself to reduce the number of hazardous materials carelessly wasted for no reason.

Boat leaks are the greatest cause of pollution in Florida lakes. Many times, the leaks are small and easily undetected. Inspect your boat regularly for leaks. Furthermore, keep up on regular boat maintenance, too.

Don't use lead paint or other toxic paints on your boat. The toxins can dissolve into the water and contaminate the water quality. Be careful about the chemical cleaners you bring onto the boat as well.

Don't handle the maintenance of the lake on your property yourself. Enlist the help of the experts at a lake management company so that you can focus on the other aspects of managing the property.