Hi. We have just purchased a house that has a retention pond on it. We were told the homeowner's association took care of it and now that it is a problem, we have found out that is not the case.

We would like it to look nicer than it does and any help would be appreciated.

It is about 50 down one side and 50 feet across the middle and I doubt much more than five feet at the deepest level. That is a guess based on what I can see when the sunlight is shinning in there. It's source of water is storm water pipes that run into.

It contains many, many frogs, tadpoles, some sort of fish, a few goldfish I saw, and lots of plants under water that look to be very live plants.

The problem, of course, is the algae. It is green and sometimes yellowish too. It is only around the edges. It lays flat, but when we try to scoop it out it is long and stringy, hairy. It is an eyesore, seeing as how it is right in our backyard. And wowee when our dog jumped in. Luckily it does not smell. The water is not moving, unless it rains. We are worried about mosquitoes taking up housing there too.

Money is an issue to some extent. I mean, a few hundred bucks would be okay, but not much more than that.

We just want it to look nicer and maintain the animal life that is there. It is nice when you go to walk by it and hear about 20 frogs jumping in :)

Thanks for any help you can provide .

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

We've had this issue come up before, and it is a tough one. The best solution would be to get the whole neighborhood involved, (the folks whose homes abut the pond, and hire an expert in the field. NOT some goofball who will just dump a pile of noxious chemicals in and depart with your money, either. I'd suggest you write to Greg Speichert, editor of Water Gardening Magazine, who used to do lake remediation for a living. He can put you in touch with someone honest and expert.

The key to a healthy body of water in situations like these is water movement, usually attained either with a powerful air system or a central fountain, drawing from the deepest part of the pond. Either way, the water gets circulated and aerated, and it'll prevent bad smells and disease. The hair algae is not a solvable problem. It is a consequence of the combination of the shallow, warm water and the nitrates and phosphates washed off of everybody's lawn during rainstorms. Keep your stretch cleaned out with periodic sweeps with a rake or large brush. Chemical applications will kill it, but will also kill everything else!

Don't forget to plant some hardy water lilies and some marginal reeds and cattails!

(Answer courtesy Bob Passovoy)