How To Design & Maintain a Pond for Recreational Use

If there is one thing Florida has plenty of, it is lakes and ponds. In fact, the Sunshine State has almost 8,000 lakes and ponds exceeding 20 acres, and thousands more less than 20 acres in size. While many of the larger ponds and lakes are named, most smaller ones are not and are located on private property. Yet no matter the size of a pond, how it is designed and maintained will be crucial to how healthy it remains and how much recreational activity it will support. Whether a pond is used primarily for fishing or rather for viewing birds and wildlife, here are some ways to ensure your pond will be one of the best Florida has to offer.

Designing Your Pond

When determining how to design a pond, your first step should be to decide what it will be used for most of the time. For example, if you want to design a pond to be used for fishing, you should try to incorporate a great deal of shoreline into the mix. If you can make good use of islands and peninsulas in the process, you can increase the amount of shoreline available for your pond. Also, you can use the "edge effect" when deciding how to design a pond. In doing so, this means you'll have complex edges that make good homes for different types of fish and wildlife.

Steep Slopes

Along with islands, peninsulas, and the "edge effect," we at Crosscreek Environmental also recommend you design your pond using steep slopes of a 20-30 degree grade. By taking these to a depth of between eight and 15 feet, you'll allow for the growth of aquatic plants while making sure their growth doesn't get out of hand. In fact, a narrow band of vegetation will prevent shoreline erosion while giving wildlife and fish suitable habitat. As for why we at Crosscreek Environmental recommend the 15-foot depth for slopes, this is because digging deeper only increases the chance your pond will develop thermal stratification, resulting in serious water quality issues. Should your pond develop such issues, look to us here at Crosscreek Environmental as one of the leading pond maintenance companies in Florida to help solve your problem.

Maintaining Your Pond

As for the areas most important when determining how to maintain a pond, aquatic plant management should be one of your first priorities. While aquatic plants can assist in helping a pond maintain good water quality by absorbing nutrients and reducing erosion, too much of a good thing will eventually present problems for your pond. Thus, you should partner with us here at Crosscreek Environmental to have your pond inspected on a regular basis. By doing so, we can help you spot potential problems associated with excessive plant growth. Should you encounter such a problem, we are one of the leading pond maintenance companies in Florida regarding our training in the use of state-of-the-art machinery for aquatic plant removal.

Water Quality

If you want to maintain a pond and ensure it will provide you with many years of excellent recreational use, it must have superb water quality year-round. Often considered the most critical aspect of pond management, excellent water quality will help sustain your pond's fish population, maintain a pleasing water color, and reduce the buildup of algae that can be very harmful to fish and wildlife. As to how you can keep your pond's water quality as good as possible, we at Crosscreek Environmental can do such things as measuring your water's pH levels, help with managing pond fertility, consult with you on fish kills that may have occurred due to low DO levels, and much more. Since our technicians are trained in the latest methods approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, you can be sure your pond will get the care and attention it deserves.

Since you want your pond to always be at its best, make sure it is designed and maintained in the best possible manner right from the start. If you have questions regarding how to design a pond or how to maintain a pond, contact us here at Crosscreek Environmental by calling 941-479-7811 or visiting crosscreekenvironmental.com today.