Keep In Mind These Lake and Pond Management Tips For This Coming Winter

Winter will be here before you know it. Is your pond or small lake ready? Whether you manage ponds on a golf course, a private residence or elsewhere, it’s crucial to remember that these bodies of water don’t maintain themselves. Particularly over the long, cold winter months, small bodies of water can develop issues that only become more severe when spring arrives. Therefore, it pays to find lake management companies in Florida to help keep everything in good shape.

Some tips for preparing a pond or small lake for the winter months include:

• Review Your Budget – One of the simplest ways to maintain a pond is by monitoring its depth and volume regularly. Known as bathymetry, this process is a proactive way to determine when hydro-raking, dredging or other maintenance tasks are necessary. However, it also costs money, so it pays to double-check your budget for the upcoming season to ensure that there are enough funds to make it happen.
• Get Ahead of Mosquitoes – Nothing can detract from the pleasure of a good pond like swarms of mosquitoes. As a body of water, of course, a pond is a natural place for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and multiply rapidly. As a result, it is vital to establish an integrated mosquito management plan well before warm weather returns. Lake management companies in Florida specialize in techniques like larviciding, source reduction and fish stocking that help to keep mosquito populations at bay throughout the summer months.
• Evaluate Oxygen Levels – One of the most critical aspects of maintaining a pond, lake or other small body of water is ensuring that there’s enough dissolved oxygen in the water. If not, aeration solutions and systems are a must – and it’s better to get them going earlier than later. If you already rely on aeration systems like nanobubble systems and floating fountains, have them evaluated by a technician before cold weather strikes. That way, maintenance can be performed proactively, warding off serious problems later. If you don’t already use aeration systems and your pond has low levels of dissolved oxygen, it’s time to invest in this crucial technology – and it’s wise to do so well before spring has sprung.
• Manage Vegetation Buffers – The right amount of vegetation along the banks of a pond maintains its appearance and optimizes the overall ecosystem. However, when this vegetation becomes overgrown, issues like excessive nutrient loads are more likely to occur. Therefore, it’s useful to thin out and otherwise manage pond vegetation buffer zones before new growth comes in the spring.
• Install an Algal Control Device – Finally, if algal blooms are a constant issue, winter is a great time to have algal control devices installed. By having the work done before spring comes, you can ward off new blooms over the next year and for many years to come.

By taking a proactive approach to winterizing your pond or small lake, you can save money and avoid severe, more complicated issues. Get started today to ensure that your pond is ready to go when warm weather returns.