Stormwater Ponds: A Citizen’s Guide to Their Purpose and

Stormwater Ponds

A Citizen’s Guide toTheir Purpose andManagement

Stormwater PondsA Citizen’s Guide toTheir Purpose and Management

Prepared in Cooperation by:USDA, National Resources Conservation ServiceFlorida Department of Environmental ProtectionUniversity of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural SciencesSouthwest Florida Water Management DistrictSt. Johns River Water Management District, Watershed Action Volunteer ProgramSarasota Bay National Estuary ProgramHillsborough County, Stormwater ManagementManatee County, Environmental ManagementPinellas County, Environmental ManagementSarasota County, Stormwater Environmental UtilityCity of Tampa, Stormwater Management

Published by:Sarasota Soil and Water Conservation DistrictSarasota Bay National Estuary Program — Bay Partners GrantUSDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

2

Y O U R G U I D E T O S T O R M W A T E R P O N D S

4. Preface

6. IntroductionWhat is the Purpose of this Citizen’s Guide?

8. Chapter 1Why are Ponds important in Florida?Florida’s Unique Ecosystems

Ponds.................................................................... 9The Watershed Connection...................................10What Is A Watershed?...........................................10

12. Types and Functions of Stormwater PondsDifferent Pond Types............................................. 12Getting to know your Pond.................................... 14

Natural Ponds...........................................14Man-made ponds..................................... 14Man-made Stormwater Ponds..................15Researching Pond Ownership &

Maintenance Responsibilities.............. 17Taking A Pond Field Trip...........................20Identifying Your Pond................................24

26. Chapter 2How do I care for my Stormwater Pond?Benefits and Limitations of Pond Management

General Maintenance Guidelines.......................... 27Runoff Management..............................................29

Sediment Management......................................... 30Sediment Contamination and Disposal................. 32Nutrients................................................................ 34Pesticides.............................................................. 36

Pesticide Use........................................... 37Herbicides................................................ 37Insecticides.............................................. 37

Other Pollutants and Their Management.............. 38Heavy Metals........................................... 38Managing Heavy Metals.......................... 39Hydrocarbons.......................................... 39Managing Hydrocarbons......................... 40

41 A Community Approach to a Pond Management Plan43 Permits44 Protecting the Pond Watershed

Pond Friendly Yards and Common Properties.......44Design...................................................... 44Maintenance.............................................46

Table of Contents


3

51 Aquatic Vegetation ManagementRoles of Plant Life in Urban Ponds........................49Problems Associated with Plant Life in Urban Ponds.................................. 51Management of Plant Life in Urban Ponds............ 52Phytoplankton........................................................54Filamentous Algae.................................................55Floating Plants.......................................................56Submersed Plants................................................. 57Emersed and Floating-leaved Plants.................... 58Vegetation Removal.............................................. 59

60 Wildlife Management64 Pond Features That Benefit Fish and Wildlife...............62

Shape andDepth...................................... 62Islands......................................................62Slope and Mudflats...................................62Logs and Overhanging Branches.............62Plants....................................................... 62Bird Houses..............................................63

Negative Considerations ofDesigning Stormwater Ponds for Wildlife...............64Dealing With Nuisance Wildlife Situations............. 65

Nuisance Wildlife Management................ 66Common Pond Pests.............................................66Wildlife Species Lists.............................................68

70 Chapter 3Beyond Basic Pond Management

70 What can you do?Conserve Water.....................................................70Protect Water.........................................................70

74 Stormwater Reuse Management74 Best Management Practices

Practical Maintenance Guidelines......................... 74Pre-treatment Alternatives.....................................76

79 Chapter 4A Pond Management Plan Workbook

81 Six Steps to Building Your Pond Management Plan

99 Chapter 5Maintenance Schedule For Structural Controls

106 Chapter 6Resources, Resource Literature, References, and Maps

106 Resources109 Resource Literature111 References112 Maps

4


The present availability of quality materials to educate stormwater managers and thegeneral public is limited. This manual, written for citizens, stormwater managers andpractitioners, is a companion document to “Stormwater Management: A Guide forFloridians” produced by the Stormwater/Non-Point Source Management section ofthe then Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. This citizen’s guide focuseson stormwater ponds and their place in the watershed. This new manual is a practicalapproach to stormwater ponds and their care. It contains information on developing aneighborhood-based care program for your stormwater pond. The information con-tained in this guide will also aid stormwater pond maintenance companies in theirprovision of quality services to their customers.

▲ Stormwater Management, A Guide For Floridians.

Preface


5

We wish to acknowledge the valuable contributions of expertise, writing, editing,coordination and cooperation of the following, without whom this guide would havenever happened:

Gary J. Reckner, Team LeaderCarolinda BatsonUSDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Betty RushtonJulie Sternfels (formally of the SWFWMD)Southwest Florida Water Management District

Bill WatkinsSt. Johns River Water Management District

Julia PalaschakErika MondonHillsborough County

Ken LangelandJoe SchaeferUniv. of Florida/Inst. of Foodand Agricultural Sciences

Billie LoflandHillsborough County CooperativeExtension Service

Mark HiltonJamie DoubeckSarasota Bay National Estuary Program

Lora BaunEric FehrmannPinellas County

Bob FlukeManatee County

Michael BurwellCity of Tampa

John CoxFlorida Dept. of Environmental Protection

For additional copies of thisCitizen’s Guide contact:Sarasota Soil andWater Conservation District6900 Professional Parkway EastSuite 200Sarasota. Florida 34240941-907-0011941-907-0015 FAX

Acknowledgements

6


The guiding theme for the content ofthis citizen’s guide is captured in the fol-lowing vision statement:

To educate communities about thepurposes and benefits of stormwaterponds, and provide guidelines for effec-tive pond management.

Introduction

What Is the Purpose ofThis Citizen’s Guide?

The intent of this booklet is to instructand provide a comprehensive, multi-agency source of reliable information forhomeowners, lake management compa-nies and Homeowners' Association(HOA)/Property Owners' Association(POA)/Condominium Owners' Association (COA) officers

in their ch for management guidelines with

espect to stormwater

NorthwestFlorida

SuwanneeRiver

St. JohnsRiver

SouthwestFlorida

SouthFlorida

NorthwestFlorida

SuwanneeRiver

St. JohnsRiver

SouthFlorida

SouthwestFlorida

N

S

W E

Northwest FloridaWater Management District

Route 1, Box 3100, Havana, Florida 32333-9700Telephone: (850) 539-5999

fax: (850) 539-4380This District includes Bay, Calhoun,

Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes,Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa,

Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.

Suwannee RiverWater Management District

9225 C.R. 49, Live Oak, Florida 32060Telephone: (386) 362-1001

fax: (386) 362-1056This District includes Bay, Columbia, Dixie,

Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison,Suwannee, Taylor and Union Counties, as

well as portions of Alachua, Baker, Bradford,Jefferson, Levy and Putnam counties.

St. Johns RiverWater Management District

P.O. Box 1429, Palatka, Florida 32178-1429Telephone: (386) 329-4500 or 1-800-451-7106

fax: (386) 329-4508This District includes Brevard, Clay, Duval,

Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, Seminole,St. Johns and Volusia counties, as well as

portions of Alachua, Baker, Bradford,Lake, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange,

Osceola, Polk, and Putnam counties.

Southwest FloridaWater Management District

2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, Florida 34604-6899Telephone: (352) 796-7211, or 1-800-423-1476

fax: (352) 754-6876 TDD: 1-800-231-6103This District includes Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee,

Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco,Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter counties,

as well as portions of Charlotte, Highlands,Lake, Levy, Marion and Polk counties.

South FloridaWater Management District

P.O. Box 24680, West Palm Beach, Florida 33416-4680Telephone: (561) 686-8800, or 1-800-432-2045

fax: (561) 687-6436This District includes Broward, Collier, Dade, Glades,

Hendry, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Palm Beachand St. Lucie counties, as well as portions of

Charlotte, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange,Osceola and Polk counties.

WATER

MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

SUWANNEERIVER

SOUTHFL

OR

IDA

WATER MANAGEME

NT

DISTRICT

•• •

ST. JOHNS RIVER

WA

TERMANAGEMENT DISTRIC

T

searr


7

ponds. This guide will help you developrealistic expectations for your Floridastormwater pond.

This guide was developed in CentralFlorida but is expected to have statewideapplication. The information is currentalthough always evolving and adaptingto new research.

For additional information from theagencies with responsibility for ponds inyour area, first read this manual and thencall the appropriate stormwater agency foryour city or county. You will find a morecomplete list of these agencies in Chap-ter 6; Resources and References.

BROOKSVILLE2379 Broad Street

Brooksville, Florida 34604-6899Phone (352) 796-7211

SUNCOM 628-4150

TAMPA7601 U.S. Hwy. 301

Tampa, Florida 33637-6759Phone (813) 985-7481

SUNCOM 578-2070

BARTOW170 Century Blvd.

Bartow, Florida 33830-7700Phone (863) 534-1448

SUNCOM 572-6200

SARASOTA 6750 Fruitville Road

Sarasota, Florida 34240-9711 Phone (941) 377-3722

SUNCOM 531-6900

LECANTO3600 West Sovereign Path, Suite 226

Lecanto, Florida 34461-8070Phone (352) 521-8131

SUNCOM 667-3271

District Service Office Locations:

2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, Florida 34604-6899

�

�

�

�

�

�

Marion

Levy

Sumter

Pinellas

Lake

Polk

Hernando

Manatee

Desoto

Charlotte

Hardee

Highlands

Pasco

Hillsborough

Citrus

Bartow

Sarasota

Brooksville

Tampa

Lecanto

8


Florida’s Unique Ecosystems.An ecosystem can be a planet, a forest,

a river, a fallen log, or a pond. Ecosys-tems are made up of nonliving compo-nents such as solar energy, soil, water, air,heat, wind, and a variety of essentialchemicals and living components - plantsand animals. Whether an ecosystem issmall or large depends on where bound-aries are established for convenience ofstudying its environmental functioning asa unit in nature.

Water is everywhere in Florida! Sur-rounded on three sides by water and witha climate varying from temperate to sub-tropical, every kind of large aquatic eco-system - lake, pond, river, spring, swamp,estuary, coral reef, sea, and ocean - can befound in, or around Florida. Three typesof large terrestrial ecosystems - forests,grasslands, and savannas - are also foundin the state. Each of these major types ofecosystems can be divided further, and allare connected to one another.

Florida has an amazing variety of eco-systems, ranging from the upland mixedforests in northern Florida to the man-

Chapter 1

Why are PondsImportant in Florida?

grove swamps in southern Florida. Estu-aries, one of the most productive ecosys-tems on earth, can be found in everystretch of Florida’s vast coastal areas in theform of rivers, bays, and lagoons - eachcharacterized by fresh water mixing withsalty water, abundant aquatic vegetation,and large populations of fish. Estuaries arethe home and spawning grounds for mostof our shellfish and commercial and sportsaltwater fish.

From pelicans to wood storks, frommanatees to blue crabs, and from treefrogsto panthers, Florida’s wildlife is a naturalwealth many of us treasure. Just as rareand fascinating as Florida’s animals are itsplants, some so unique that they are foundonly in one small region of the state.Plants, animals, rainfall, temperature - allare integral parts of ecosystems.

More than any other animal, humanshave a tremendous impact on the healthof ecosystems they live in or near. Theseimpacts can be direct when man uses lo-cal resources to sustain life in communi-ties, or indirect when resources are neededfrom distant lands to help support peopleliving in an artificial setting such as ahighly urbanized area. Because man is asocial and cultural animal and populationgrowth has been so rapid in our state, it isnecessary to integrate scientific, behav-ioral, sociological, political, economic,and ethical factors when consideringhow to best maintain ecological bal-ance. The future of Florida’s ecosystemsdepends on decisions that will be madeby citizens like you.

Stormwater PondTIP

Stormwater Management is necessaryto protect Florida’s unique natural ecosys-tems. Simulating natural ponds is onemethod to accomplish this goal.

☞


9

PondsNatural ponds play an important role

in these connected ecosystems. They cap-ture rainwater as it rushes over theground, reducing erosion and flooding inrivers and streams. By holding much ofthe stormwater, these ponds also allow nu-trients and other chemicals contained inthe runoff to be filtered from the waterbefore it moves through the soil into anunderlying aquifer or along the surfaceinto our rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Wild-life depend upon ponds for food, shelterand breeding purposes. During the dryseason, ponds act as reservoirs, provid-ing much needed water for birds andwildlife.

After observing natural ponds at workand using these natural ponds in early de-velopments to hold the stormwater,people came up with the idea of buildingponds to hold and treat stormwater in com-munities. This was needed where the po-

tential for flooding is increased by cover-ing the ground with concrete and otherhard surfaces, as well as when changes inthe natural ecological balance occur as aresult of development. These “stormwaterponds” are specifically designed to decreasedownstream flooding and remove pollut-ants from the water before it enters a lake,river, or bay - or before it moves into theaquifer. For stormwater ponds to do theirjob effectively, they must be managedproperly. They are man-made eco-sys-tems that require regular maintenance.

Managing stormwater ponds beginswith management of the pond’s watershedwhich contributes the water that flowsinto the pond. The rest of this manualwill look at how ponds fit into the biggerwatershed picture, how to take care of thewatershed that directly affects yourpond and how to manage yourstormwater pond.

Natural Pond ▼

10


The watershed connectionWe use water everyday in our homes.

Every time we flush the toilet, brush ourteeth, take a shower, water the lawn ortake a drink - we are making the water-shed connection.

We use water outside our homes. Ev-ery time we go swimming in a spring, fish-ing in a pond, canoeing in a lake or pic-nicking along the river - we are makingthe watershed connection.

Every time we pass a storm drain, road-side ditch, a lake, stream or river - we aremaking the watershed connection.

Everyone, everywhere is connected toa watershed. It doesn’t matter if you livein an urban or rural area or next to a wa-ter body. We all live in a watershed!

What is a watershed?What is a watershed? It’s an area of land

where water falls as precipitation and flowsacross a variety of land surfaces and drainsinto a water body. Water bodies receivingthis water include ponds, lakes, bays,streams, and rivers. Rivers in Florida ei-ther flow into other rivers or empty intothe Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.

Some actually disappear into sink holesand are never seen again. Each geographi-cal area that contributes water to a pond,lake, bay, stream or river is a watershed.Large watersheds include a main waterbody and many smaller tributary water-sheds which empty into it.

Once precipitation hits the ground,some of the water will be absorbed by thesoil or percolate through it to rechargeaquifers. The remaining water, especiallyduring heavy rains, runs off the land andis referred to as stormwater. Stormwatertakes numerous routes to its final desti-nation. It may run off your driveway andflow down the stormdrain, or off the roadinto a ditch. Perhaps it will run off a park-ing lot and into a stormwater treatmentsystem (pond), or it may flow directlyfrom the land into a stream, river, lake,or even the ocean.

Each water body receives water fromnumerous tributaries, which in turn havereceived water from countless othersources, including stormdrains, roadsideditches, wastewater treatment facilities ornatural sources such as free flowingsprings and direct rainfall.

It’s easy to see how most of our dailyactions connect us to our watershed. Forinstance, when we wash dishes, waterdrains from our homes through a seriesof pipes, to wastewater treatment facili-ties, and to receiving water bodies. It’s assimple as that! The watershed connec-tion is everywhere. It’s up to us to makethat connection a positive one.

In general, there are two ways for youto make a difference by making a positivewatershed connection - conserve water andprotect water.

Make the watershed connection andtake an active role in trying to keep ourwater as clean as possible. Remember, weare all part of a watershed!

� A watershed is the land that water flows acrossor under on its way to a stream, river or lake.


11

▲ A healthy watershed is one that is in harmony with the needs of people, land and natural resources.

☞Stormwater PondTIP

At home: Landscape your yard withplants that need a minimum of water andfertilizer. Use only the amount of fertilizersand pesticides that plants need.

In your community: Protect wetlands thatserve as natural buffers against pollution,soil erosion, and flooding.

12


Types and Functionsof Stormwater Ponds

Different Pond TypesPonds constructed to store excess run-

off from storms are called wet detentionponds because they detain and slowly re-lease surface water flow after rain occurs.Initially, detention ponds were built tosolve flooding problems by providing tem-porary storage for storm water. As lakes,streams and estuaries became more pol-luted because of stormwater runoff, pondswere designed and built to improvestormwater quality.

Several processes take place within thevarious zones of the pond to remove andtransform pollutants before water is dis-charged downstream. The different zonesshould include a permanent pool of wa-ter, a shallow littoral shelf with aquaticplants, and a fluctuating pool (Figure 1).The permanent pool allows particulateforms of pollutants time to settle to thebottom where, through various processesunder ideal conditions, they are buried inthe sediments. The permanent pool also

removes soluble nutrients from the waterby physical, chemical and biological re-actions in the water column. About 65percent of the pond area is required to bekept as an open water permanent poolwhen stormwater ponds are constructedaccording to SWFWMD criteria. Vegeta-tion in the littoral zone provides the sub-strate for the attachment of decomposermicroorganisms that break down and dis-solve organic material and behave some-what like the trickling filters used by sew-age treatment plants. A minimum of 35percent of the pond bottom is requiredto be shallow enough to support wetlandplants according to SWFWMD criteria.Plants also take up pollutants directly butsome of these nutrients are released backinto the water when the plant dies, withthe harvesting of plants, there is a net re-duction in pollutants from plant uptake.The fluctuating pool slowly releases de-tained stormwater and reduces peak flows

� Figure 1. Idealized Wet Detention Pond


13

downstream. The fluctuating pool andsome water in the permanent pool canprovide water for irrigation purposes.

In summary, pollutant removal withinthe wet detention pond can be attributedto the following important pollutant re-moval processes: uptake of nutrients byalgae and rooted aquatic plants; adsorp-tion of nutrients and heavy metals ontobottom sediments; biological oxidation oforganic materials; and sedimentation ofsuspended solids and attached pollutants.

Stormwater ponds constructed specifi-cally to reduce pollution downstreamwere first built around 1980, but otherkinds of ponds are also found in the ur-ban landscape. They sometimes servemany of the same functions as wet de-tention ponds and can be maintainedusing the same practices. These otherponds include borrow pits excavated toprovide fill for development, lakes ordepressions found naturally in the land-scape, and ponds or canals built to drainthe land. Another type of pond is often in-

cluded in new developments (since 1985)that may be confused with wet detentionponds. These ponds use filters buried un-der the ground either in the banks of thepond or under the pond to remove pollut-ants by filtration (Figure 2). Since filters areeasily clogged by fine grained material, theyrequire more professional maintenance thanwet detention stormwater ponds.

▲ Figure 2. Side view of detention pond with effluent filtration (Man-made underdrains).

Street Pond Underdrain Detail

▲ Drawdown pipe.

Concrete Collar4” thick x 2’ wide x 4’6” long

17-25 F.A.C. Treatment Vol.

Bottom of PondEL. 6.0

Sod with Minimum4” of Top SoilOver Sand Filter

3” FDOT No. 5Course Aggregate

1’ Min.

Clean Out

14 EL 6.5

2’ Min.

12”

Filter Fabric(Mirafi 140 N orApproved Equal)

6”

1. Uniformity coefficient shall be noless than 1.5 and no greater than 4.0

2. Effective grain size shall be within therange of 2.0 mm and 0.55 mm

Sand Filter(see note below)

Pipe Inv.6.0

Underdrain Pipe

Pipe Inv. 2.9 to 2.8 6”

2’-0”

Drawdown Pipe

8” PerforatedP.V.C.

30 Mil Impermeable LinerFDOT No. 3Coarse Aggregate

4’-0”6’-8” U.V.Protected P.V.C.O each End

8” PerforatedP.V.C. piper with sock

14


Getting To KnowYour PondNatural Ponds:

In Florida there are severaltypes of ponds. The one that ismost familiar to people all overthe world are our natural pondsand lakes that are so highlyphotographed and promoted.These ponds have been formedin depressions, and have devel-oped a surrounding ecosystemthat is unique.

Man-made Ponds:Florida also has many types of man-

made ponds. Some of these type are exca-vated for fill material, commonly referredto as dug outs, where the topography isfairly flat or water is not flowing natu-rally nearby. Another type of man-madepond is an embankment pond, wherethere is some rolling topography and a in-termittently flowing stream. These pondshave a constructed dam and spillways toconvey the water through or around them.Some of these man-made ponds incorpo-rate aspects of both types.

Both of these pond types are generallybuilt and managed for multiple purposes.Several of these uses are recreation, water

supply, fish production, flood control, andwildlife habitat. There are several goodpublications available on their use andmanagement from your local Soil andWater Conservation District, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Serviceor the Cooperative Extension Service. Seechapter 6 for a list of these publications.The uses of man-made ponds also includestormwater management. It is the pondbuilt specifically for stormwater manage-ment upon which this citizen’s guide is fo-cused. The management techniques mayapply, however, in part, to these otherponds and their uses.

▲ Natural Pond

▲ Man-made Ponds


15

Man-made Stormwater Ponds:Water flowing over the land during

and immediately following a rainstormis called stormwater runoff. Stormwaterrunoff from lands that undergo develop-ment cause significant problems for land-owners downstream, for local govern-ments, and for the rivers and bays whichultimately receive the runoff. These prob-lems include sediment accumulation,pesticides, excess nutrients from fertiliz-ers, waste and decaying vegetations, lit-ter, oils, and solvents among other lesserknown pollutants.

As a result of stormwater, transport,sediment fills our ditches and streamscausing flooding and requiring expensiverestoration. High stream velocity causesbank erosion, moves sediment down-stream, and causes more flooding, loss ofwildlife habitat, and property damage.This sediment must be removed, at greatcost, from culverts, ditches, streams andnavigable waters to restore their capacity.Additionally, the other pollutants men-tioned are also carried with the stormwater.

The volume of stormwater generatedby a rain storm depends upon the totalamount of rainfall, the amount that soaksinto the soil, evaporates, or is taken up

by plants, and how much is stored inponds, pools and puddles. These amountsvary with the type of soil, plants, topog-raphy and land use.

Changes in land use affect runoff intwo important ways: (1) the volume andrate of overland flow, and (2) the poten-tial impacts on water quality. As an areabecomes increasingly more urban throughthe construction of buildings, streets,parking lots and driveways, exposed soilis paved over or compacted by traffic.Consequently, the type and distributionof vegetation in these areas also change,the surface becomes more impervious, lesswater can soak in, and runoff is increased.

Changes in land use also directly af-fects water quality. In natural systemsnatural processes recycle most of the pol-lutants found in stormwater. We disturbthese biological processes with our devel-opment and add pollutants to the systemwith our everyday activities such as: lawnand garden management with fertilizersand pesticides, trips to the store with carsleaving oil, gasoline and tire wear on theroads, walking the dogs, etc. All of thesepollutants are carried by stormwater run-off to our ponds, lakes, streams and bays.

Man-madeStormwater Pond ▲

16


Residential Stormwater Pond ▼

These materials create high pollutantloadings of:

❧ sediment which clogs drainageways,smothers bottom living aquatic life andincreases cloudiness of the water;

❧ organic matter that as it rots removesoxygen from the water that can leadto fish kills and foul smells;

❧ nutrients, mostly nitrogen and phos-phorus, which cause unwanted and increased growth of algae and weeds inour waters;

❧ metals, such as lead, copper, zinc, cad-mium and chromium, which can ac-cumulate in fish and shellfish disrupt-ing reproduction and making themunusable as food;

❧ oils and greases which are toxic tomany aquatic plants and animals;

❧ viruses and coliform bacteria whichcontaminate ponds, lakes, and baysand prevent swimming, fishing andshellfish harvesting; and

❧ excessive fresh water which changes thesalinity of bays, alters the types of lifein the bays, and disrupts importantnursery areas of the bays.

Stormwater is a major source of pol-lutants to our ponds, lakes, streams andbays. Improved stormwater managementwill reduce pollutants from our activities.

Of primary importance to minimiz-ing the effects of stormwater on waterquality is the first flush. This term de-scribes the washing action that stormwaterhas on accumulated pollutants. The firstfew minutes of a thunderstorm will wash90 percent of the pollutants off the streetsand parking lots into the ponds andstreams. This creates a shock loading ofpollutants. Certain stormwater ponds aredesigned to accept and treat this loadingbefore passing the water downstream.

Stormwater ponds hold water for adesigned period of time to allow streamsto flow more slowly and thereby carry lesssuspended sediment and stretch the stormflow over a longer period of time at a lowerlevel. During this holding time more wa-ter soaks into the soil which adds to therecharge of our shallow aquifers.

Additionally, when stormwater pondsare designed properly, wildlife are encour-aged to use the ponds and the number ofdifferent types of wildlife is increased.


17

Researching Pond Ownership andMaintenance Responsibilities:

This section will describe how aperson can know if he/she is legallypermitted to do any work in astormwater pond or other excavatedwater body that receives stormwaterrunoff, and how to find details ofrequired maintenance, if any.

Subdivisions, shopping centers,industrial parks, and any otherproject creating impervious, orpaved, surfaces, including roads,buildings and parking lots thatwere constructed after 1982 inFlorida were required to obtain aStormwater Discharge permitfrom the Department of Envi-ronmental Protection, or DEP,(formerly called the Departmentof Environmental Regulation)or from the South Florida Water Man-agement District. This permit required thatthe runoff generated from the project becollected and “treated” to remove pollut-ants such as greases and oils, fertilizers, andheavy metals by holding the water instormwater ponds. In 1984, the various Wa-ter Management Districts received stormwaterpermitting responsibilities, but in some cases,such as using natural wetlands to treatstormwater, the DEP retained permitting re-sponsibilities. Now, the Water ManagementDistricts are responsible for most residentialand commercial stormwater permitting inNortheast, Central and South Florida.

Stormwater Discharge permits are is-sued to the property owner. The permitscontain specific maintenance instructionsfor the stormwater management facilities.These facilities include ponds, culverts andinlets, some wetlands, and conveyanceditches. The instructions may be part ofthe permit, or may be on the approved con-struction drawings that are returned to theowner after permit issuance. A copy of the

approved construction drawings are also re-tained by the permitting agency. The owneris required to obtain an “operation permit”after the project is completed. The opera-tion permit designates who is responsiblefor maintenance and protection of thestormwater facilities. In the case of a com-mercial or residential subdivision or con-dominium, the owner is required to trans-fer the operation permit to theHomeowners, Property Owners or Con-dominium Owners Association (HOAs,POAs & COAs) after it is legally estab-lished, which must occur before the devel-oper moves on.

18


Residential and CommercialSubdivisions, Including Condominiums:

Stormwater ponds may be owned byindividual lot owners, by HOAs, POAs& COAs or by the city or county in whichthey are located. Ownership can be de-termined by looking at the recorded plat1

of the subdivision or condominium.Ownership does not necessarily confermaintenance responsibility. In some cases,a pond shown on a plat as being ownedby adjacent lot owners will be includedin a drainage conveyance easement2 re-corded in the official county records. Notethat an individual lot survey is drawn fromboth the recorded plat and actual fieldmeasurements and will also show the lotline and any drainage easement within thelot if the lot extends into a pond. The ease-ment may dedicate the pond area to anowners association for maintenance, or tothe county or city for maintenance, de-spite the fact that it is owned by the adja-cent lot owners. In other cases, the pondarea may not have a drainage easementrecorded over it, but is designated as a“common area”, to be owned and main-tained by the subdivision’s homeowner’s

association. In other cases, lot owners mayown a pond with no drainage easement,and they may be responsible for its main-tenance. Owners Association documents,including the Articles of Incorporationand the Declaration of Covenants andRestrictions, that are received when a lotor condominium is purchased, may of-ten include information designating theentity that is responsible for maintenanceof the pond.

To determine who can or must legallymaintain a pond, and what restrictionscover pond maintenance, first check yourlot survey to see where your lot lines ex-tend. Then:

❧ Check to see if a drainage easementcovers the pond.

❧ Check with the Owners Associationto see a copy of the recorded plat foreasement language, and to see towhom the easement was dedicated formaintenance. If the association doesnot have a copy of the plat, go to thecounty records office to see or obtaina copy of the plat.

❧ Check the approved constructionplans for maintenance instructions.Read the Owners Association docu-ments. Read the Stormwater Dis-charge permit. The Owners Associa-tion should contain a copy of it.

❧ Finally, contact the local Water Man-agement District’s permitting section(or with the local DEP office if theyissued the Stormwater Discharge per-mit) to verify your conclusions or tofill in any missing information.

▲ Planted littoral zone in residential stormwater pond.


19

Commercial Sites:In the case of shop-

ping centers and apart-ment complexes - wherethe developer or subse-quent owner retains own-ership and control over thefacilities - the pond must bemaintained by the owner orthe management companydesignated by the owner.Maintenance must complywith the instructions and re-strictions found in thestormwater discharge permitand approved constructiondrawings for the project; copiesof which are issued to the owner.If these documents cannot be lo-cated, contact the local Water Man-agement District service office forthis information, or contact the DEPfor older projects.Footnotes:

1Plat: a drawing, created by a regis-tered land surveyor, of the land owner-ship and easement boundaries within asubdivision, recorded in the publicrecords of the county in which it lies.

2 Drainage easement: a particular areareserved for stormwater management pur-poses, such as a pond, drainage ditch orswale, or storm sewer line. An easementis recorded over land owned by one en-tity - a homeowner, for example - and isdedicated to another entity - the city,county or the subdivision’s Owners As-sociation, for example - for maintenance.The easement will contain specific restric-tions regarding what the land owner andthe maintenance entity can do within theeasement. The easement may be recordedwith a subdivision plat in the countyrecords, or may be recorded separately inthe official county records if it does notlie within a subdivision.

�

Research your water management dis-trict permit or your subdivision documentsto determine restrictions on stormwater pondmaintenance.

Check with the local water managementdistrict for stormwater pond maintenanceguidance.

Subdivision Plat �

Stormwater PondTIP

20


Taking a Pond Field Trip:One of the first steps to take when cre-

ating a pond management plan is to ob-tain a copy of the approved constructiondrawings and maintenance plans for thepond, as well as for your subdivision.Determine the type of pond yours wasdesigned to be, and what sections of yoursubdivision were designed to drain to yourpond (this area is often called the “drain-age basin” or “watershed”). Then, com-pare the original plans with what yousee...take a walk around the subdivisionand pond. Inventory the elements that

you are required to maintain, and con-trast them with your ideas of how youthink the pond should look. You mightcontact the local water management dis-trict service office or your local countystormwater utility to see if a biologist orengineer is available to help you with your“pond walk”.

Mallard ducks utilizing a stormwater pond. ▼


21

✎ Major Items to Observe

Inflow and Outflow Structures:The type of outflow control structure

constructed for your pond will give you aclue as to what type of treatment pond de-sign you have. This structure is usually builtof concrete and regulates the pond waterdischarge. Often, the control structure hasan iron grate on top, and an aluminum orfiberglass baffle placed in front of the open-ings. The baffle acts as a skimmer and pre-vents floating greases, oils and litter fromdischarging downstream.

❧ Ponds without outflow structures mayhave been constructed only for fill andwill usually have no permitted maintenance requirements.

❧ Ponds designed to be wet detention pondsusually have a two stage overflow struc-ture, with a wide rectangular openingand a small hole to slowly drain the watercalled the bleed-down orifice, usually nolarger than 3" in diameter, or with a V-shaped notch. The vegetation at theshallow end of ponds is required to beprotected by permit.

❧ Ponds designed with sand filtrationbeds (often called effluent filtration orside drain filter ponds) will have a concrete outfall box in which a 6, 8 or 12"diameter PVC pipe is inserted belowwater line. By removing the grate top,you may see the pipes inside the outfall structure, usually coming in fromeither side of the box. Also look forPVC “cleanouts” along the pond bankin which the sand filter is embedded;these are inspection ports which runfrom the filter bed up to the bank, witha PVC cap screwed on for protection.Effluent filtration ponds are requiredby permit to be inspected frequentlyto ensure the filters have not clogged.

▲ Outflow Control Structure

Check for built up debris, sedimentand vegetation at each storm inlet thatfeeds the pond, and note which structureneeds work to maintain free flow. Notewhere screens, fish excluders3 (if present),grates and baffles are clogged or not prop-erly positioned. If the pond is equippedwith a side bank sand filter or underdrainfacility, check the outflow structure to seeif water is flowing out after a rain eventand see if vegetation has clogged the filterarea. Your maintenance plan should in-clude steps to remove excess debris andsediment, replace screens and grates, andreplace or unclog the sand filter if it isnot functioning properly. All vegetationthat becomes established over the filterarea must be removed so its roots do notclog the filter.

22


Grading and Sediment Accumulation:Measure the pond depth below cur-

rent water level at various locations. If thepond has a designated “littoral zone”1, takeseveral depth measurements there. Mea-sure the depth in the inflow sedimentsumps2 and at pond outflow structure.Observe pond banks and note erosionchannels and areas that must be resoddedor otherwise grassed. Note deviationsfrom permitted drawings. Your mainte-nance plans should include steps to re-grade and resod eroded banks.

Vegetation:Note the amount and location of ex-

isting plant coverage, and identify theplants species. Identify which plants are“desirable” and “undesirable” for yourpond or your particular tastes. You mightcontact the local Water Management Dis-trict or Department of EnvironmentalProtection office, or consult the referenceslisted in Chapter 6 - Resources & Refer-ences, for help in determining the differ-ence between desirable and undesirablespecies. Note the plant coverage over thepond’s designated littoral zone, if thereis one. Identify the density and generaltype of algae (mat- or blob- forming fila-mentous algae, or water-tinting plank-tonic algae).

Your maintenance plan should includemethods to weed out undesirable vegeta-tion and replace it with desirable species,if an aesthetically-pleasing pond is yourgoal. If you have more algae than plants,your maintenance plans may include stepsto reduce fertilizer use in your yard. Don’tforget your neighbors’ lawns that eithersurround the pond, or drain to the stormsewer that drains to the pond. Includesteps to create more littoral zone in whichto plant attractive vegetation. In general,the more emergent

4 vegetation a pond

supports, the less algae grows, unless thereis such a huge inflow of nutrients that theycan’t be taken up by the emergent vegeta-tion. An open water permanent pool alsoincreases the pollution removal capabili-ties of wet detention ponds.

Pretreatment Sediment Basin ▲

▲ A stand of desireable wetland vegetation.


23

Special Subdivision Guidance:Walk through your subdivision with

the construction drawings, and notewhich areas contribute drainage to yourstormwater pond via gutters and stormsewers. Anything dumped on the groundwithin the contributing drainage area canmake its way to your pond. Grass clip-pings blown into gutters are washed intostorm sewers and into the ponds, causingnutrient overload. Paints and used mo-tor oils that are dumped into storm sew-ers flow directly to ponds. Pesticides sprayedon lawns are washed into the ponds via thestorm sewer system. Areas of bare soil mayerode with heavy rains, and the resultingsediment can also end up in ponds. Yourmaintenance plan should include ways toprevent these deleterious materials fromreaching your pond, mainly by educat-ing your neighbors to be more careful andmore aware. Your local stormwater util-ity may have an inlet marking program youcan use to help educate your neighbors.

Also note the other ways water fromthe drainage basin is designed to reachthe pond. Conveyance swales or ditchesmay carry stormwater from rear lot areas,and are sometimes designed to providesome water quality treatment themselves.Compare the ditch or swale depth andwidth to the permitted drawings. You mayfind that some residents have built fencesor sheds over or across a swale; becausethis impedes flow, these items should beremoved (many swales and ditches are en-compassed by legal drainage easements,which are protected by law, permit, and/or deed restrictions). Lawn or garden clip-pings dumped in swales and ditchesshould be removed.

Footnotes:1 Littoral zone:“the shallow zone

within a pond or lake with sufficient lightpenetration to support the growth ofrooted, emergent aquatic plants.”

2 Sediment sump: “a deeper area withina pond specifically constructed as a basinto trap incoming sediments and to pro-vide an area deep enough to prevent thegrowth of vegetation at inflow and out-flow points.”

3 Fish excluder “a device placed onpond outflow points that is required bythe Florida Game and Freshwater FishCommission to prevent stocked grass carpfrom leaving the pond.”

4 Emergent vegetation: “aquatic veg-etation rooted in shallow zones that nor-mally grows leaves and stems above thewater surface.”

▲ Typical inflow pipe.

24


Identifying Your Pond:The type of pond in your development

can often be identified by looking at theoutlet structure (usually made out of con-crete) where water flows out of the pondafter rain events. Systems dug as borrowpits usually have no outfall structure, al-though they may have a structure to main-tain a certain water level. In permitted wetdetention stormwater ponds the outfallstructure usually has a rectangular or V-notch or pipe that slowly releases the wa-ter out of the pond over several days (Fig-ure 3). Wet ponds with filtration (efflu-ent filtration) are systems that have per-forated pipes packed with gravel buriedin trenches either around the pond or

underneath the pond (see Figure 2).Sometimes the end of the pipes can beseen where they enter the sides of the dropbox (the deeper rectangular concrete boxusually covered by an iron grate) associ-ated with the outfall structure of the pond.These ponds typically do not contain ashallow littoral zone and the entire pondbottom is set at one elevation. Anotheridentifying feature for filtration systemsare capped observation wells called “clean-outs” located in the banks around thepond. A good description of differenttypes of stormwater management systemsis given in “Stormwater Management: AGuide for Floridians” and “How to Op-

▲ Figure 3. Weir structure for wet detention pond. Alternative design could have a V-notch.

DISCHARGE STRUCTURE FOR WET DETENTION PONDSNORMAL WATERLEVEL FORWATERQUANTITY

WATERQUANTITY

DETENTION VOLUME(WATER QUANTITY)

NORMAL WATER LEVEL (WATER QUALITY)

OVERFLOW ELEVATION

CONTROL DEVICE (bleed down pipe)CONTROL ELEVATION

OVERFLOW ELEVATION

CONTROL DEVICE

CONTROL ELEVATION

WATERQUANTITY

EMERGENCYFLOOD OVERFLOW(for events greater than 25 years)

WATER QUALITY

OUTFALL STRUCTUREHow to recognize a wet detention pond: Look at theoutfall structure. If it looks similar to the ones to theleft and about a third of the pond is shallow or cov-ered with vegetation (or recruiting vegetation if thepond is newly constructed) there’s a good chance thefacility is a wet detention pond.

▲

▲ Wet detention pond outfall structure.

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW


25

erate & Maintain Your Stormwater Man-agement System”. Both are available at nocharge from your SWFWMD ServiceOffice. You will find the address and tele-phone number to order your copies inChapter 6 - Resources & References.

To do any work in permittedstormwater systems including the wet de-tention and filtration systems describedabove, permission must be granted by thepermitting agency or agencies. Chapter 6;Resources provides the jurisdictional areasand the offices to contact before doing anywork in permitted systems in southwestFlorida. You will find them cooperativeand helpful in analyzing your problemsand providing information to keep yoursystem in good working order.

Remember, before doing any work inyour permitted stormwater pond be sureto get permission and advice.

▲ Outlet Structure. This photo shows a bleed down notch, shallow rectangular overflow weir and pond skimmer.


The removal of littoral shelf vegetation(including cattails) from permitted wet de-tention ponds is prohibited unless approvedby the permitting agency. Removal includesdredging, the application of herbicide, cut-ting, and the introduction of grass carp.

26


Benefits And Limitationsof Pond Management

Stormwater ponds may have uses be-yond simply retention and detention ofwater volume. The range of uses and as-sociated benefits spans both public andpersonal importance. However, coupledwith these benefits come some limitations.

Effective stormwater pond manage-ment can provide significant local andregional benefits by:

❧ lowering flood levels;

❧ protecting ground and surface waterquality;

❧ recharging water supply throughinfiltration into the aquifer;

Chapter 2

How do I Care for MyStormwater Pond?

❧ providing a natural cooling system forthe area, as well as cooling runoff waterbefore it reaches a surface water body;

❧ providing an aesthetically attractiveenvironment;

❧ providing a water storage reservoir fordry periods;

❧ providing recreational activities like fish-ing, wildlife watching and boating althoughthese activities include critical restrictionson swimming and consumption of fish;and,

❧ enhancing wildlife habitat.

Ponds help recharge water supply throughslow infiltration into the aquifer.

▲


27

General Maintenance GuidelinesRemember that one of the main pur-

poses of the stormwater pond is to removepollutants before they are transported tonatural lakes, rivers and streams. They willnever be pristine swimming or fishinglakes because they are designed to trap andtransform pollutants before water is re-leased downstream. Some of the algae andplants that home owners find objection-able help provide this pollution removalfunction.

Stormwater ponds will have to becleaned out periodically (about every 10-25 years) to keep them functioning prop-erly. There are things that can be done inthe pond and especially in the watershedto improve water quality and extend theperiods between extensive maintenanceefforts. An efficient, functioningstormwater system takes as much timeand energy as maintaining the rest of thelandscaping. In fact, highly maintainedupland landscaping is a big part of theproblem in keeping stormwater systemsattractive.

Many homeowners do not connecttheir landscape design and maintenancepractices to the problems in theirstormwater ponds. Highly maintainedlawns and direct discharge of stormwaterinto ponds cause much of the weedygrowth in stormwater ponds. One of themost important steps in having a moreattractive stormwater pond is to form apartnership with all the people in thecommunity that have an interest in thepond and then learn as much as possibleabout your particular pond.

❧ Develop a specific maintenance planfor the entire drainage basin of thestormwater pond. Find out as muchas you can about the history of thedrainage basin and why your pond isimportant in cleaning up stormwaterpollution. Enlist the help of the watermanagement districts and the originaldesigner to determine the best strategyfor improving the aesthetics withoutreducing the pollution removal abilityof the stormwater system.

The original developer or the Wa-ter Management District has site plans forall permitted projects which include spe-cific details. Historic aerial photographscan be obtained through University Li-braries. Soil Survey aerials are availablethrough the Natural Resources Conser-vation Service or the Soil & Water Con-servation District in your county.

All ages enjoy the recreationthat a clean pond provides. ▼

28


❧ Follow the maintenance schedule andactivities listed in Chapter 5 and keeprecords of all maintenance needs aswell as the work done on the stormwatersystem. Pay special attention to the con-veyance system by removing litter andother debris, repairing eroded surfaces,checking for solution holes, and collect-ing and disposing of grass cuttings sothat they do not wash into the pondand increase algae growth.

❧ Use pre-settling basins (or other pre-treatment strategies) upstream of thestormwater pond to remove the larg-est particles and minimize the need todisturb the wet detention pond bymaintenance dredging. Sedimentdeposition should be monitored andconditions that contribute to excesssediment transport to the pond shouldbe corrected. If land constraints pre-clude the construction of a sump areain front of the pond perhaps an areanear the inflow in the pond can beused instead.

❧ Re-suspension of sediments can beminimized by encouraging vegetationto grow in shallow littoral zones.Increased density of vegetation slowsthe velocity and wave action whichincreases settling of suspended materials.Also dense vegetation can be effective atremoving floatables and litter fromstormwater. On the other hand, vegeta-tion should be harvested periodically toimprove long-term performance. Thiscan be accomplished during the normaldry season in the spring in Florida, sothat vegetation has a chance to becomere-established before the summerrainy season.

❧ Overland flow to a pond should bedistributed evenly by use of a swale or adiffuse-inlet structure to minimizeshort-circuiting through the pond.Make sure the system is functional ifit has one.

❧ Erosion control in the drainage basinshould be a top priority. Plant bareareas in the conveyance system andalong banks. Use soil stabilizationtechniques such as sod, straw mulch,degradable ground covering fabrics ortemporary vegetative cover such as ryegrass until permanent plants areestablished. Planting trees throughoutthe drainage basin can help reduce theimpact of heavy rains which cause soilerosion.

❧ If the street is not curbed, turf should beestablished and maintainedbelow pavement level so that sheet flow is not blockedand the grass can help remove pollutantsand sediments.

❧ Designate buffer areas around the pond(at least 15 feet wide) where nofertilizers or pesticides can be applied.

▲ Neighborhood watershed and stormwater pond.


29

Runoff ManagementStormwater runoff has always occurred

after storms, but the difference today isthat we have paved over or denuded theland that used to absorb and hold backthe runoff. For example, in a natural for-ested landscape only about ten percentof rainfall runs off into rivers and lakes.The rest infiltrates into the soil and theunderground aquifers, or evaporates intothe air. As more of the land is paved overwith buildings, roads, and parking lots,up to ninety percent of the water runsoff. If we want to reduce the pollutiongoing to our stormwater ponds we needto provide opportunities in the watershedfor water to infiltrate much like it did inthe old days. This can be accomplishedby directing stormwater to ditches andswales instead of directly to storm drains,by causing roof runoff to flow to a veg-etated landscaped area rather than to thedriveway or street, by planting trees toabsorb the impact of rainfall, by havingsome depression storage in landscape de-signs, by reusing stormwater for water-ing the yard, and by using permeable pav-ing surfaces where practical. Some ex-

amples of how this might be accom-plished are shown in Figure 4 and manymore good ideas are available from theFlorida Yards and Neighborhoods pro-gram.

The Wet Detention Pond design isimportant in maintaining its function forremoving pollutants. Make sure there isan open water permanent pool deepenough to hold water all year. This aidsin deposition of pollutants and mosquitocontrol. The permanent pool watershould contain adequate amounts of dis-solved oxygen. If this is a particular prob-lem then perhaps a fountain or other aera-tion device can be added. Aeration is of-ten effective in reducing filamentous al-gae mats. Also at least one third of thepond should be maintained as a shallowlittoral shelf with desirable plant speciesto help remove dissolved pollutants. Ifalgae or nuisance plant species removalis part of the plan developed for yourpond then work days should be organizedto get as many people involved and edu-cated as possible.

Low impact parking lot design - where stormwater treatment begins as soon as rain hits the payment inthese small recessed landscape depressions. The raised inlet allows some retention and filtration beforethe water is routed to wet detention basins. ▼

30


Sediment Managementand Disposal

As soil is eroded and washed intostormwater treatment ponds it accumu-lates, becoming part of the bottom sedi-ments gradually filling the pond. Thisaccumulation of sediments decreases theholding capacity of the pond and resultsin reduced treatment efficiency for pol-lutants entering the system. The processof eroded soil filling in these ponds is

called sedimentation. It is the same pro-cess that physically smothers fish habitatand limits navigation in natural waterbodies. When stormwater treatment sys-tems are poorly maintained or no treat-ment system exists, the potential forharmful sedimentation increases in ourlakes, rivers and estuaries.

▲ Figure 4. Adapted from: Urban Storm Drainage: Criteria manual, Denver, Colorado 1992.

Roof Drainsto Parking Lot

OfficeBuildingFlat Roof

Commercial Lot

Parking Lot

Storm SewerInlet (typ)

Manhole

LandscapeArea (typ)

House

Curb andGutter

Storm Sewer

Street Curb

Gutter

Sidewalk Sidewalk

OfficeBuildingFlat Roof

Storm Sewer StreetManhole

SidewalkSidewalk

Swale Block

Shallow Culvert

Swale

GrassFilterStrip

LandscapeArea

GrassSwale(for large flows)

RoofDrainsto Swale

GrassSwale

Provide Depression StoragePlant Trees

Storm Sewer Inlet

MINIMIZING DIRECTLY CONNECTED IMPERVIOUS AREAS

TRADITIONAL SITE 7 STREET DRAINAGE DESIGN


31

To maintain maximum treatment ef-ficiency for stormwater ponds, sedimentmaterials must be removed periodicallyand disposed of off site in an uplands area.The depth and slope of the ponds mustbe maintained for proper treatment ofsediments and other contaminants enter-ing the system. It is critical to decreasethe velocity and volume of water flowingthrough the system, thus providing ampleopportunity for pollutants to be filteredby plants or settle out into the sediments.

Stormwater pond sediments becomecontaminated with heavy metals, pesti-cides, phosphorus, etc. as direct functionof a properly designed and maintainedtreatment system. When sediments are re-moved, they should be properly disposedof. Florida’s solid waste rules definestormwater pond sediments to be a solidwaste. Accordingly, they must be disposedof in a Class 1 lined landfill where theycan be used as daily cover material.

However, increased caution should beused when unusually high levels of con-tamination are observed or suspected.These situations can include sediments as-sociated with treatment systems servingindustrial and commercial operations andfuel transfer facilities. In these cases, sedi-ments should be tested to determine theproper level of precaution for disposal.Excessive petroleum hydrocarbon con-tamination can present severe sedimentdisposal problems. Evidence may includestrong odors of gasoline and very dark oilystains, particularly at inlet and outletstructures. The source of such inputsshould be found and removed if possible.

Algae Growth ▲


For more information on stormwater pondsediment disposal requirements and meth-ods, interested parties should contact theFDEP Stormwater and NPS ManagementSection regarding appropriate testing anddisposal methods.

32


Sediment Contaminationand Disposal:

Sediments associated with stormwatertreatment devices should be regarded ascontaminated well beyond the levels inrunoff itself. When disposed of haphaz-ardly, this material may become a sourceof pollution. Pollutants associated withstormwater sediment include high nutri-ents and oxygen demanding substances,heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbonsand other volatile and semi-volatile or-ganic compounds, pesticides, and infec-tious organisms. However, absent circum-stances which would be expected to re-sult in the regular addition of paints, sol-vents, cleaning agents, pesticides andspilled fuels there is little probability thatthe sediment would be a hazardous waste.If space is available at the stormwater sys-tem, the sediments can be stockpiled atthat location and land spread on-site pro-vided the site is restricted to public ac-cess. However, proper practices must beused to prevent wind and water erosionand off-site movement of the sediments.Off-site disposal must be to a Class 1 linedlandfill where they can be used as dailylandfill cover. Stormwater sediments canbe used as fill material or land spread butonly if they have been thoroughly tested

and they meet the soil cleanup target lev-els set forth in DEP’s Chapter 62-777,F.A.C. Sediment from facilities servingmajor urban highways or industrial, com-mercial and fuel transfer facilities shouldbe tested to determine the proper level ofprecaution for disposal. For more infor-mation, interested parties should contactFDEP Stormwater and NPS Manage-ment Section regarding appropriate test-ing and disposal methods for stormwater sedi-ment.

Excessive petroleum hydrocarbon con-tamination can present severe sedimentdisposal problems. Evidence may includevery dark oily stains particularly at inletand outlet structures and strong odors ofgasoline. The source of such inputs shouldbe found and removed if possible. Oth-erwise, pretreatment practices should beused as necessary to insure that influentrunoff water is not contaminated beyondlevels normally observed in runoff fromhighways and parking lots.


Off-site sediment disposal must beto an approved landfill for use as land-fill cover.


33

▼ Table 2.1 Planning and implementing a maintenance plan.

PARTICIPATION• Hold meeting for involved citizens• Identify perceived problems• Locate helpful reference books (see Chapter 6- Resources, References and Maps)• Contact appropriate agency for advice (i.e. Water Management District,

Stormwater Utility, Natural Resources Conservation Service,Soil & Water Conservation District, Cooperative Extension Service)

ASSESSMENT• Request site plans and engineered drawings from appropriate entity• Locate historic aerials of area to understand natural drainage patterns• Identify the ultimate receiving water body (lake, river, bay or estuary)

and understand the goals and objectives that have been recommended for it.

PLANNING• Outline drainage basin on site plan• Delineate the conveyance system• Locate storm management controls• Outline any natural areas to protect• Indicate problem areas• Identify potential sites where improvements can be made• Prepare an inspection and maintenance plan• Determine if perceived problems have practical solutions• Seek professional advice if necessary

IMPLEMENTATION• Designate the person or committee in charge of the plan• Obtain approval of the plan from the Water Management District, if appropriate• Prepare a check list and keep detailed records of work done• Report back to original group• Schedule work days if appropriate and seek cooperation• Educate affected citizens about stormwater management

EVALUATION• Receive feedback from group• Update educational effort• Modify plan if necessary• Continue implementation

34


NutrientsThere are 16 chemical elements known

to be essential for plant growth. They aredivided into two main groups: non-min-eral and mineral. The non-mineral nutri-ents, found in the atmosphere and water,and are essential for photosynthesis.

The 13 Mineral Nutrients are dividedinto three groups: major, secondary andmicronutrients:

The nutrients that are of most con-cern when considering non-point source(NPS) pollution that can be naturally oc-curring or added to the soil are Nitrogen(N) and Phosphorus (P).

Nitrogen: Nitrogen in surface watersis an issue of concern for many water qual-ity managers because of its effect on theeutrophication of waters (productivity).Nitrogen appears in surface waters as dis-solved atmospheric molecular N

2, ni-

trates, nitrites, ammonia, and organic ni-trogen (e.g., proteins and amino acids).

Precipitation, sewage discharges, run-off, or poor management of nitrogen fer-tilizers are usual sources of nitrogen. Thepresence of high nitrogenous compoundconcentrations in surface waters usuallyindicates organic enrichment via one ormore of the sources mentioned above.

Aquatic life is significantly affected bynitrogen depending upon the concentra-tion and form of the nitrogenous com-pound. Because vertebrate and inverte-

Major Nutrients Secondary Nutrients MicronutrientsNitrogen Calcium BoronPhosphorus Magnesium ChloridePotassium Sulfur Copper

IronManganeseMolybdenumZinc

brate aquatic life do not particularly uti-lize nitrogen in their physiological pro-cesses, the primary effect of nitrogenouscompounds is on the primary producers,algae and bacteria.

Algae and bacteria are capable of fix-ing, reducing, and oxidizing nitrogenthrough biochemical and metabolic pro-cesses. The resulting or intermediate prod-ucts of these processes alternatively affectother aquatic life to varying degrees. In-creased loading of nitrogen into surfacewaters only enhances these processes.

Of the various forms of nitrogenpresent in surface waters, the primaryconcern is with ammonia-nitrogen. To-tal ammonia exists in water as ionized(NH4+) and un-ionized (NH3) ammo-nia and it is the primary end product ofbacterial decomposition. Ionized ammo-nia (NH4+) is not appreciably toxic toaquatic life, but the un-ionized (NH3)form is very toxic to fish and aquatic in-vertebrates. Presence of the un-ionizedfraction is a function of pH. At low pH,the un-ionized ammonia molecule (NH3)ionizes to the ammonium ion (NH4+).As pH increases, NH3 increases.

O

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H H

C C C C C C C C

OOO

OHOHOH OHOHN N N N

H H HCHCH H3 CH3

H O2


35

Phosphorus: Phosphorus is a macronu-trient necessary for the day to day meta-bolic activity of aquatic organisms, espe-cially algae and bacteria. It occurs in natu-ral waters and wastewater’s almost solelyas phosphates (orthophosphates, con-densed phosphates, and organicallybound phosphates). Orthophosphate isthe only form of soluble inorganic phos-phorus directly utilized by organisms.The other phosphate compounds arehighly reactive with cations, clays, carbon-ates, and hydroxides and quickly forminsoluble compounds and/or adsorb toparticulates that precipitate out of thewater column.

Since much of the phosphorus poten-tially available in an aquatic system isadsorbed or complexed, it is often referredto as the “limiting nutrient” in aquaticsystems.

Phosphorus enters surface waters pri-marily from fires, groundwater seepageand overland runoff. Increased phospho-rus loads often result from sources suchas fertilizers carried in runoff water, com-mercial cleaning or laundering water, andmunicipal waste water.

Like nitrogen, phosphorus is a meta-bolically necessary nutrient for bacteriaand algae. And, like nitrogen, increasedphosphorus in surface waters can increasealgal and bacterial productivity.

☞Stormwater Pond

TIP

Reducing pollution at the source is the beststrategy for protecting your stormwater pond.

• Fertilize sparingly• Fix erosion sources• Keep grass clippings out of pond• Never throw trash or oils into storm drains• Inspect stormwater systems regularly

▲ Parking lot inlets are directconnections for pollutants tostormwater systems.

O

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H H

C C C C C C C C

OOO

OHOHOH OHN N N N

H H HCH H3 CHCH3

H OH O2

36


PesticidesPesticides are generally compounds

used for pest control in agriculture, in-dustry, and the home. They may be syn-thetically derived copies of naturally oc-curring compounds or new man-madecompounds. They include insecticides, ro-denticides, fungicides, algaecides, miti-cides, herbicides, and general biocides.Pesticides may be organic or inorganiccompounds and they may include simplemetal mixtures or complex organic molecules.

Pesticides may undergo transforma-tions in the aquatic environment throughprocesses such as oxidation, reduction,hydrolysis, and photolysis. The resultingcompound may be more or less toxic thanits parent compound.

The modes of action in organisms varydepending upon their intended targets.For example, an insecticide may have a verydifferent mode of action on its target (mos-quito larvae) versus its non-target (frogs ortoads) organisms. Generally, pesticides af-fect organisms through interrupting neces-sary metabolic or neural pathways.

Because of their widespread use, pes-ticides are often found in many surfacewaters especially those streams and riversadjacent to farmlands, industrial areas, orurbanized areas. These areas are the pri-mary sources of pesticides in waters viarunoff and drift from aerial spraying orscattering. Aerial transport aside from di-rect application may also occur throughwind erosion of treated soils, and volatil-ization.

Pesticides may affect all aquatic lifethrough direct or indirect exposure. Di-rect exposure is usually the result of acutepesticide contamination. This occurswhen high pesticide concentrations arepresent over a sufficient period of time tocause lethality. Acute effects are relativelylocalized to the source and area of con-tamination because of dilution over timeand space. The primary effect is on thesurvival of individuals aquatic organismsexposed. Acute effects may occur for allaquatic organisms. An example of an in-direct effect occurred in the migratingducks in the prairie pothole region of theUS. The ducks themselves were not affectedby the pesticides, but the microinvertebrateson which they were feeding, were decreas-ing in numbers. In turn the migrationpath of the ducks was altered due to thelack of available food.

Direct exposure may also occur whenconcentrations are low, but persistent,over a period of time. These chronic ex-posures not only affect survival, but alsoreproduction.

Chronic exposure may lead to moreindirect effects such as pesticide accumu-lation and concentration in the tissues ofan organisms, and/or magnificationthrough the food chain. These indirect ef-fects may lead to a breakdown in higherlevels of biological organization includingpopulation and community level effects.


Use the least toxic form of pest controlfirst. Use more applications and less con-centration of chemical whenever possible.And remember not all bugs are bad, somecontrol the bad bugs.

—INSECTICIDE SPRAY—1/3 cup liquid dishwashing soap1/3 cup vegetable oil1/4 cup baking sodaApply from 20 gallon hose end sprayer.

Spray on plants every two weeks.


37

Pesticide Use:As a rule, pesticides should be avoided

in association with the maintenance ofstormwater management systems. How-ever, when necessary, use only pesticidesapproved by US EPA and FDACS foraquatic sites. Violation of water qualitystandards in receiving waters resultingfrom the use of chemicals within the treat-ment facility may be punishable understate law. Pesticide use on landscape plantsoften are washed off into stormwaterponds, natural areas and streams.

Herbicides: Careful herbicide selection and appli-

cation are essential to avoid harm to de-sirable plants and animals. Applicatorsmust be experienced and well trained inplant identification to selectively controlundesirable plants while avoiding detri-mental effects on desirable vegetation andpossible downstream contamination. Forassistance, contact the Florida Depart-ment of Environmental Protection, Bu-reau of Aquatic Plant Management, re-gional biologist or the local County Co-operative Extension Service agent.

Insecticides:Many types of insecticides occur in-

cluding organochlorines, organophos-phates, carbamates, pyrethrins, and oth-ers. From an aquatic ecosystem point ofview we are concerned with how thesepesticides fall into two categories, (1)those that are soluble in water, and (2)those that are highly insoluble in water.

Organophosphates such as guthion,parathion, diazanon, and malathion aretypically very soluble in water. These typesof pesticides are usually not very persis-tent in the aquatic or terrestrial environ-ment, they become chemically unstableafter a period of time and degrade. Of-ten, they may persist for a only a few daysbefore they breakdown.

Organochlorines such as DDT, aldrin,dieldrin, lindane, heptachlor, toxaphene,and chlordane are typically very insolublein water. These types of pesticides, al-though no longer available for purchasein the U.S., are persistent because theyare chemically stable and do not degradeeasily. If they were used in the past in yourwatershed, they may persist for severalweeks, months, years or decades.

Because of their insolubility in water,these types of pesticides have high affini-ties to bind with suspended organic ma-terial, sediments, and lipids (fish fat).Many of the more persistent pesticides areno longer used in the US because of theirpersistence. The reason why concentra-tions of these pesticides are routinely mea-sured in aquatic organisms and sedimentsis because of their continued persistenceand chronic affects.


Less than one percent of all insectsare harmful to plants and many insectsare beneficial. Healthy plants can usuallyfend off pest attacks while predatory in-sects and birds may keep underirable in-sects under control.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) isan environmentally friendly approach topest control. It emphasizes the use of pestresistant plants, proper landscape man-agement, natural enemies of pests, andthe least toxic alternative if pesticides arerequired. Call Cooperative ExtensionAgents for further information.

38


Other Pollutantsand Their Management

Heavy Metals: Heavy metals have been identified as

the most prevalent toxicant found in ur-ban runoff with concentrations often atlevels harmful to aquatic life. In addition,metals attach to bottom sediments wherethey are consumed by sediment-living or-ganisms and become increasingly concen-trated up the food chain, making even smallamounts potentially toxic. The metals ofconcern include: Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt(Co), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron(Fe), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead(Pb), and Zinc (Zn). Among the metalsdetected in stormwater, zinc, copper andcadmium are the most abundant. Althoughlead is sometimes still measured at toxic lev-els, lead was a much more serious problembefore the introduction of lead free gaso-line. This is one example of the potential forcleaning up pollution with source reduction.

A major source of metals in the envi-ronment comes directly from your auto-mobile. Whenever you drive, you leave tireparticles on the road and every time youtouch your brake pedal, you deposit cop-per-laden brake residue. Even the road it-self and the paint used to mark traffic lanescontribute to toxic pollutants in runoff.

Other sources of heavy metals measuredin storm runoff include: Corroding metalsurfaces such as roofing and gutter mate-rial, industrial processes which producemetal wastes, household chemicals such ascleaning and gardening products, and di-rect atmospheric deposition containing airpollution from automobiles and smokestacks. Another major source of metal pol-lution comes from the improper use ofchemicals to control algae and other veg-etation in stormwater ponds. This subjectis covered in greater detail in other sectionsof this report. See, for example, the pesti-cide and vegetation sections.

Metals are of concern in stormwater be-cause toxic levels can pose health risks, causegenetic defects, produce reproductive abnor-malities and increase mortality rates of aquaticorganisms. Metals that accumulate in certainanimal or fish tissues can become more con-centrated (bioaccumulate) as larger organismseat smaller ones. For example, when fish eatzooplankton the metals that have been ingestedby the zooplankton are now incorporated inthe fish tissues. Of special concern is thefact that the impact of metal pollution arenot fully understood since their long-termchronic effects are frequently physiologicaland may only be manifest in an organism’ssusceptibility to disease or response to en-vironmental changes such as temperatureor pH. In addition, the impacts resultingfrom intermittent nonpoint dischargesinto natural waters are extremely diffi-cult to isolate or to identify cause andeffect relationships.

▲ Vehicles are a source of heavymetals in stormwater runoff.


39

Managing Heavy Metals:Never pour toxic household chemicals

down any drain — this includes the drainsinside your house as well as storm drainsor gutters that lead to storm drains. Alsonever pour toxic chemicals on the groundwhere they can seep into the water tableand eventually the aquifer or a stream.Take them to hazardous waste collectioncenters. Some household chemicals thatneed to be disposed of properly include:Metal polish with solvent, furniture pol-ish, battery acid (or batteries), automatictransmission fluid, brake fluid, car wax withsolvent, paint brush cleaner with solvent,paint (oil based), paint thinner, turpentine,varnish, wood preservatives, gun cleaningsolvents, ammunition, and many others.

• Recycle used oil and antifreeze bytaking them to service stations andother recycling centers.

• Schedule regular tune-ups for yourcar to reduce deposition of toxicmetal pollutants from exhaust gasesand fluid drips. Reduce automobiletrips. Every trip increases congestionand pollution.

• Wash your car on the grass, not thedriveway. Another alternative is to usea car wash facility that captures andreuses water.

• Use chemicals properly or not at all.Inappropriate use of chemicals tocontrol aquatic nuisance species canincrease metals to toxic levels.

• Encourage government initiativeswhich reduce pollutant concentrationsby source reduction.

• Recognize that metals are more toxicin soft water or waters that are lowin dissolved oxygen or pH. Thereforemanage your stormwater system foracceptable levels of these parameters.

• Provide a sediment sump and aschedule for regular maintenance.

Hydrocarbons (Fuels & Oils):Sources of hydrocarbons to urban

stormwaters include accidental spills ordeliberate dumping of used oil and fuels,emissions from engines during normaloperation (primarily uncombusted ex-haust hydrocarbons and crankcase drip-pings), fallout from atmospheric particu-lates, and spillage of products during re-fining and transportation. Newspaperheadlines focus on oil spills and indus-trial effluent, but in fact, the chronic un-recorded drip-by-drip diffuse sources de-posited every day in urban runoff con-tribute a significant amount of petro-leum-derived hydrocarbons to theaquatic environment.


You can reduce your use of hazardoushousehold products by choosing safter,less-toxic products.

Avoid household products with hazard-ous ingredients, or handle them with ex-treme care. Many toxic ingredients in paintthinners and drain cleaners, for examplecan contaminate water sources.

• Use only enough of the product to getthe job done.

• Never dump hazardous productsdown drains, the toilet, or near flowingwater, ponds, or lakes.

•Do not dump them on the ground.

•Use natural and less-toxic householdproducts whenever possible.

40


As with metal pollution, our transpor-tation system is a major contributor tohydrocarbon pollution. Hydrocarbons arefound in weathered materials of streetsurfaces, automobile exhaust, lubricatingoils, gasoline, diesel fuel, and tire particles.Probably the most visible sign of hydro-carbon pollution is that dark streak downthe middle of highway traffic lanes orthose dark patches left in parking lots bothof which are manifestations of the oils,greases and heavy metals left by automo-biles. One study documented that hydro-carbon deposition in open water bodiesis derived 80% from combustion sourcesand 20% from used motor oil.

Hydrocarbons are of concern becausemany of them or their derivatives are toxicand some are carcinogenic. Also, ifstormwater runoff becomes a part of thedrinking water supply, the widely usedprocess of chlorination of water suppliesmay render the hydrocarbons containedin the treated water much more danger-ous to humans. In addition, oils andgreases impair fish habitat and may causeoxygen deficiencies by limiting water-airinteractions at the surface of ponds.

Managing Hydrocarbons:Many of the methods for removing

hydrocarbons in urban runoff are thesame as for metal reduction.

Keep your car in good working order.The deposition of leaked fuels and fluidsfrom vehicles are a key source of hydro-carbon contamination.

❧ Recycle used oil by taking it to recycling centers.

❧ Encourage street sweeping by yourcommunity to remove street dust.

❧ Wash your car on the grass or atan approved car wash facility thatreuses wash water.

❧ Encourage government initiativesthat reduces pollution at the source.

❧ Support the introduction of betterbuilt product that don’t corrode orotherwise produce break downproducts that cause pollution.

❧ Construct a separate sediment sumpand provide routine maintenancewith sediment removal when neces-sary as a pre-treatment design elementof wet-detention ponds.


41

A Community Approachto A Pond Management PlanHow can a pond management plan help meand my pond?

Your stormwater pond is a water treat-ment facility, and it performs a very im-portant job for your drainage basin: itcleans water. A management plan will helpyou make sure that your pond is workingat peak performance to keep your wateras clean as possible. With a plan for fu-ture maintenance of your pond, you andyour pond group will avoid spending timeand money on “quick fixes” that may de-grade water quality and add pollutants.

What should my pond look like?What could my pond look like?

There are certain elements of yourpond you cannot change: the shape, thedepth, the surroundings, the underlyingsoils, the water sources (both groundwa-ter and neighborhood stormwater run-off ), and the purpose for which the pondwas built. What are the elements of yourpond that can be changed? You canchange the neighborhood’s attitude to-wards the pond, the type of maintenanceit receives, the quality of the neighbor-hood stormwater runoff that enters thepond, the quality of the water as it leavesthe pond, the types of plants that grow inand around the pond, and the kinds ofwildlife that are attracted to your pond.Your pond can become a neighborhoodasset, a place to play with the kids, to teachthem about Florida’s natural world, andwatch the birds. You can fool mother na-ture by making your stormwater pondlook like a natural pond, with native flow-ering plants, trees, and birds. Astormwater pond can have clean clearwater, cypress trees, oak trees, iris bloom-ing in the spring, and summer-bloomingpickerel weed edging the shoreline.

What is a pond management plan?A pond management plan is a description

of your pond; the problems associated withthe pond and its drainage basin; a listing ofpeople who live and work in the drainage ba-sin; a record of meetings, pond evaluations,water quality data, as well as actions proposedand/or taken by the group. A managementplan is written by consensus of the group, andis reviewed by everyone in the pond basin, oras many as you can reach. A plan includes goalsfor the future and helps you measure yourprogress in achieving those goals. It helps youmake better decisions by providing a recordof previous decisions and a written record ofthe neighborhood’s vision for your pond. Anyproposed actions that may impede or degradethe neighborhood’s goals and vision for thepond should be turned down.

Ponds are like lakes.Ponds and lakes in urban settings share

many of the same problems, and so sharemany management issues. The FloridaLAKEWATCH program uses a fifteen-stepprocess in helping their volunteers build a lakemanagement plan. Ponds are smaller, withfewer recreational and development issues, sowe have shortened the LAKEWATCH pro-cess to six steps.

42


Six Steps To BuildingYour Pond Management Plan

1. Form a group made up of the peopleliving in your pond’s drainage basin.

It is important to include people wholive away from the pond, but in the basin.

2. List the problems you are having withyour pond.

Problems could include nuisance veg-etation, clogged storm drains, erodingbanks, litter, pet droppings, algae blooms,compost piles, etc.

3. Collect information about your pondand the drainage basin, including:

❧ an aerial photograph of the pondand drainage basin

❧ names and addresses of everyone inthe drainage basin

❧ locations of drainage structures,pipes, under drains, & connections

❧ ownership & easements, deedrestrictions, and/or homeowner’srules that apply to the pond’s current maintenance procedures suchas grass carp, herbicides, plant removal, water sample analysis, andSecchi disk measurement.

❧ identify your pond’s drainage basin(which streets drain to your pond).

4. List possible solutions to the problemsyou have listed.

Solutions could include establishing abuffer of native plantings around thepond, nuisance plant removal, storm drainmarking, neighborhood educationalmeeting, renting a dumpster for a neigh-borhood pond clean-up, fertilizer-freezones, or door hangers with pollution pre-vention instructions.

5. Write a management plan with all ofthe information you’ve collected.

Your management plan may have thesesections:Section 1. Pond Background

Information and DescriptionSection 2. Pond Group MembersSection 3. Aquatic Weed ControlSection 4. Algae ControlSection 5. Fish & WildlifeSection 6. Water Quality MonitoringSection 7. Drainage Structure MaintenanceSection 8. Pond Group Work DaysSection 9. Stormwater Pollution

Prevention Program❧ Environmental Landscape

Maintenance❧ Storm Drain Marking❧ Door Hangers❧ Pond Walk❧ Educational Meeting

With Experts❧ Pond Work Days❧ Fertilizer-Free Zones❧ Pond Plantings

Section 10. Pond Group Goals& Vision For The Future

6. Implement your plan.Assign activities to members of your

group. Set dates for achieving your goals.Contact local governmental agencies foreducational materials, technical guidance,and assistance in managing your pond;ask for speakers to address your pondgroup members at a meeting or a pondwalk.

Use Chapter 4.-A Pond ManagementPlan Workbook to help you write YourPond Management Plan.


43

PermitsAs stated in Chapter 1.,

Researching Pond Ownership,many stormwater ponds are gov-erned by the conditions of per-mits issued by various agencies.Once you have investigated thebackground of your pond using theguidelines included in that section,you will know what permit or per-mits govern your pond. Before initi-ating any maintenance work on yourpond, you must identify what entityis legally responsible for the pond’s con-dition, be it the HOA/POA/COA, thecounty, or in the case of older subdivi-sions, individual owners. Again, this in-formation will be revealed after you inves-tigate your pond’s history.

Once you establish your legal rights towork in the pond, study the permit issuedto the developer, and the originally-permit-ted construction drawings, and -’identifythe required maintenance guidelines andrestrictions. The maintenance plan you de-velop for your pond may go beyond thebasic requirements included with the per-mit. As long as the proposed maintenancedoes not conflict with these basic require-ments, you may proceed. For instance, youmay want to remove weedy vegetation andreplace it with desirable species, however, atypical permit condition for wet detentionponds is:

The removal of littoral shelf vegetation (in-cluding cattails) from wet detention ponds isprohibited unless otherwise approved by theWater Management District. Removal in-cludes dredging, the application of herbicide,cutting, and the introduction of grass carp.

If your proposal would not affect thewater quality treatment capability of thepond, contact the permitting agency (Wa-ter Management District, Department ofEnvironmental Regulation, County Devel-opment Review departments, etc.) for plan

approval. The proposal should specifywhich native plant species will replace theundesirable species. Understand that if youdo the work without first obtaining ap-proval from the permitting agency, you maybe in violation of the permit condition, andpossibly subject to legal action.

Ponds with side-drain filters are requiredby permit condition and approved man-agement plans to maintain vegetation-freezone above the filter bed. This area mustnot be planted, but the rest of the shore-line may be planted with attractive vegeta-tion. Again, provide a planting plan to thepermitting agency for approval prior to tak-ing any action.

�Stormwater PondTIP

Be sure to obtain approval from the lo-cal water management district before do-ing work in your stormwater pond.

44


Protecting thePond Watershed

Pond-Friendly Yards andCommon Properties

A stormwater pond evaluation gives usa complete picture of our pond’s water-shed. We have mapped the homes andcommon property along the pond’s edge.During the evaluation we have also lo-cated the storm drains that feed into thepond—and determined the type of prop-erty that is served by the storm drains.

Sometimes a pond is surrounded by anatural area, containing cypress trees and

other native plants.However, yards andcommunity prop-erty usually makeup the largest per-centage of a pond’swatershed. It’s im-portant to remem-ber that developedand maintained ar-eas do not inher-ently cause prob-lems to a pond-it isthe way we designand take care ofthem that deter-mines whether apond is a thing ofbeauty or of de-spair. The fact thatwe created our yardsand communitylandscapes in thefirst place means we

can recreate them in a way to protect theintegrity of our stormwater ponds.

The next section discusses the value ofroutine pond maintenance. As the adagenotes, “An ounce of prevention is worth apound of cure.” In the case of pond care,preventing pollutants from entering a

pond is much easier and cheaper thancontinually cleaning out a pond.

Design:1.Use the Right Plant for the Right Spot

Picking the right plant for the rightspot results in less fertilizer, pesticide andwater use. However, before you can chosethe right plant, you have to know some-thing about the spot-the site conditions.Is your soil sand, marl or clay, and whatis the soil pH? How cold does it get dur-ing the winter? What are the rainfall pat-terns? Is there full sun, partial shade orfull shade?

Often different conditions exist in oneyard. For example, the front yard may behigh and dry, while the backyard, bor-dered by a pond, may often be wet. Fewplants will do well under both site condi-tions, so choose plants carefully.

If you live on a pond, incorporate thiswaterscape into the design of your back-yard. Let the native aquatic and shorelineplants add color and beauty to your garden.

2. Design landscapes to control the flowof stormwater runoff.

Stormwater runoff has always existed,to some extent. The difference now is thatwe have paved over the land that used toabsorb rainfall. We have also removed theplants that helped slow runoff and dis-perse rain water.

In a natural forest approximately tenpercent of rainfall runs off into rivers,lakes and ponds. The remaining 90 per-cent of the rain seeps through the soil re-plenishing underground aquifers or itevaporated into the air.

� Florida Yards and Neighborhood Handbook.


45

The reverse is true today in urban andsuburban areas. As more and more of theland is paved over and covered with build-ings, roads and parking lots, up to 90percent of the rainfall runs off of theground surface. The natural water filter-ing system has been lost. Now, stormwaterrunoff, carrying soil, pollution from ourcars and fertilizers and pesticides from ouryards, flows into stormwater ponds or intolakes, rivers and bays.

We can regain much of that filteringaction by adding the following elementsto our landscape designs to the yards andcommunity properties in our pond’s wa-tershed area:

❧ Swales, ditches, terraces and shallow,depressed areas.— These design features slow downthe flow of water, allowing pollutantsto settle into ground before thewater reaches the pond.

❧ Trees.— Trees slow rainwater before it hitsthe ground. A rainstorm torrent isdispersed into smaller drops thattrickle down the tree, from leaf toleaf, until they reach the ground.Tree roots also help slow the flow byholding the water, allowing it to beabsorbed by the soil.

❧ Landscape buffers between buildingsand sidewalks or roads.— Landscape buffers, allow some ofthe water pouring off of a roof to getabsorbed into the ground. Directdown spouts away from impervioussurfaces and into lawn areas andplant beds.

❧ Permeable paving surfaces wherepractical.— Brick patios, mulch pathways andpervious concrete are examples ofpermeable surfaces that add beautyto a landscapes while helping to protectthe environment. Unlike standardconcrete, permeable surfaces allowwater to go into the ground.

Some examples of how these actions canbe accomplished are shown on page 48.

Use depression storage to reducerunoff and increase infiltration.

▲

46


Maintenance:1. Create 15 to 30 foot buffers around

the pond that receive no fertilizers or pes-ticides. Be careful in using herbicides inthis buffer zone area.

Buffer zones of native plants createhabitat for Florida’s wildlife and addbeauty and dimension to your landscapedesign. Upland areas of yards and com-munity property can be enhanced withMuhly Grass, with its striking purple fallcolor, and the butterfly-attractingporterweed. The bright yellow flowers ofthe native canna, flanked by the purple-blue blooms of pickerel weed, are a wel-come addition to the pond’s edge.

Also, because native plants are adaptedto the pond ecosystem, they do not need fer-tilizer. And in the case of plant pests, we canusually let nature’s check-and-balance systemof predators and prey keep plant damage to aminimum.

If your pond is surrounded by lawn grass,you can still create a fertilizer/pesticidefree zone. Backyards on ponds often slope sig-nificantly down from the house. When youapply fertilizer to the upland area around yourhome, gravity often causes some of the nutri-ents to move down the slope to the grass area

close to the pond. If you need to treat for pests,practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management),discussed later in this section.

2. Take care of your yard in a Florida-friendly way. We often make our yardsmore high-maintenance than they needto be. There are four steps to having anattractive, healthy yard.

Step 1: Mow your grass at the properheight and don’t take off more than 1/3of the grass blade at a time. Longer grass bladesresult in longer roots and longer roots makethe plant more efficient in taking up wa-ter. Also, longer grass will inhibit weeds.Practice selective pruning on your bushes.Hire a certified arborist to prune your trees.

Step 2: Use fertilizers appropriately.Over-fertilizing leads to excess plantgrowth. Excess growth can attract plantpests and requires additional mainte-nance, in terms of pruning. Don’t applyfertilizers during the summer when rainswill leach the nitrogen into the soil pastthe root zone or wash it into the street orpond. Use ferrous iron to “green-up” thelawn during the summer. Many shrubsand trees require little or no fertilizer oncethey are well-established. Step 3: Practice Integrated Pest Man-agement (IPM). Protect the good bugs!They often are hard at work behind thescenes, keeping pest populations undercontrol. Check your lawn and plant bedsregularly for pest problems. Identify thepest. Know the good bugs from the badones. Is it chinch bugs or big-eyed bug?It makes a difference. Big-eyed bugs eatchinch bugs. Spot treat. For example, ifchinch bugs are the problem, don’t treatthe entire lawn! Treat the area of infesta-tion—and six feet beyond. If one out often plants has scale, treat only that plant.Try the least-toxic pesticide first, such asinsecticidal soaps, Bt products and horti-culture oils. Tolerate some plant damage.


Let only rain go down the stormdrains:Many people think stormwater goes to atreatment plant and so they dump trash,yard debris, paint or other chemicals downthe storm drain. It is important that every-one in the pond watershed know that whatgoes down the storm drain ends up in thepond, and then into a river, lake or bay.


47

When you see aphids, wait a day beforeacting. You may find that ladybugs havecome in and devoured the aphids for you.

Step 4: Water Wisely. Over-wateringleads to lots of problems for our lawnsand plants. Fungus problems are the di-rect result of over-watering. Many com-mon ornamental landscape plants, suchas pittosporum and juniper, also sufferwhen they receive too much water. Use arain gauge to track rainfall amounts. Andif you have an in-ground automatic sprin-kler system, install a rain-sensing shut-offdevice. Set the device to shut-off yoursprinkler system after 1/2 to 3/4 inch ofrain. In some parts of Florida, rain shut-off devices are required by law on all sys-tems. Let your plants tell you when theyneed water. There are five benefits to wa-tering wisely:

1. Your water bills are lower.2. You reduce the chance for pests in

the landscape.3. Your plants develop longer roots and

are better prepared for dry spells.4. You avoid washing away lawn

fertilizers.5. You allow the soil to act like a

sponge during rainfall.

Think about it. When your soil is satu-rated, like a full sponge, it can’t take upanymore water when it rains or when youirrigate. The water, instead of soaking intothe ground, becomes stormwater runoff.

Calibrate your irrigation system-whether you have an in-ground sprinklersystem or use a sprinkler at the end of thehose.

Step 1. Place shallow cans or glassesof equal size around the area covered byyour sprinkler or one zone of your in-ground system.

Step 2. Turn on the water for fifteenminutes.

Step 3. Measure the amount of waterin each container. Add the amounts to-gether and divide by the number of con-tainers. That will tell you the averageamount of water your yard received dur-ing the fifteen minutes.

Step 4. Calculate how long you needto run the sprinkler or zone to have yourplants receive 1/2 to 1/4 inch of water perapplication. For example, if you collectedan average of an eighth of an inch in 15minutes using your hose-end sprinkler, youwill have to run it for an hour to get one-half inch.


48


Fertilizers and pesticides washing offour lawns during a summer rain also be-come pollutants when they enter the pondsystem. The runoff from one yard doesnot makes a big difference, but thestormwater runoff from many yards or alarge community area can add a lot ofpollutants into a pond.

❧ Using too much nitrogen on St.Augustine grass lawns encourageschinch bugs.

❧ Over-watering and under-wateringthe lawn results in short grass roots.

❧ Follow herbicide labels carefully.Note that Atrazine can kill trees ifused incorrectly.

❧ Spot treat for pests-protect beneficialinsects, reduce the change of insectsbecoming resistant to pesticides andsave money.

By following the simple steps inside theFlorida Yardstick Workbook you can savetime and money. Make your yard the bestit can be, and protect Florida’s environment.

� The Florida Yardstick Workbook shows you how to create attractive and healthy yardsby working with Florida’s environment, rather than against it.

�


49

Aquatic VegetationManagement

Plant life that grows in and around thewater ranges from single celled algae, sus-pended in the water, called phytoplankton,to large woody plants, such as cypress trees.Plant life is vital to the functioning of lakesand wetlands and serves various roles suchas production of oxygen and wildlife habi-tat. Many urban ponds are constructed aswet detention areas for surface water withthe primary purpose of flood control. Sec-ondarily, surface water detention ponds arebuilt to protect receiving waters from pol-lutants and may be used to mitigate de-struction of wetlands. Wet detention pondsmay be constructed with shallow slopingareas, called littoral shelves. The purposeof the littoral shelf is to provide habitat forrooted plant life. In small urban ponds,plant life that grows in open water or onlittoral shelves serves important roles butmay also interfere with certain uses andexpectations of the pond and can be moreof a nuisance than a benefit. Therefore,plant life often needs to be managed inurban ponds and goals of the manage-ment will depend on the intended pur-poses and expectations of the pond.

Roles of Plant Life in Urban PondsGreen plants capture energy from sun-

light and transform it into food throughthe process of photosynthesis. Plants usesimple raw materials (nutrients) to pro-duce food through photosynthesis. Themost important of these are carbon,which is derived mostly from carbon di-oxide in the air, and nitrogen and phos-phorous, which are present in soils or dis-solved in the water. By converting rawmaterials into plant tissues through pho-tosynthesis, phytoplankton, which givewater it’s green appearance, provide the basefor the food chain of ponds. Tiny animalscalled zooplankton use phytoplankton as afood source. Larger animals including smallfish use the zooplankton for food and largeranimals such as fish and birds feed on theseto make up the higher levels of the foodchain. Phytoplankton also produce oxygen,needed by fish and other animals in pondwater, through the process of photosynthesis.

Large aquatic plant life (aquatic mac-rophytes) can grow rooted to the bottomand supported by the water (submersedplants), rooted to the bottom or shore-line and extended above the water sur-face (emersed plants), rooted to the bot-tom with their leaves floating on the wa-ter surface (floating-leaved plants), or free

▼ Littoral shelf overgrown with less desireable species still treats stormwater.

50


floating on the water surface (floatingplants). Different types of aquatic mac-rophytes have different functions in ur-ban ponds. Submersed plants obtainnutrients from both the pond bottom andwater. When submersed plants are abun-dant and actively growing, pond water maybe clear and free of phytoplankton becausenutrients, which would otherwise be avail-able, are tied up in the higher plants and algaethat are attached to their stems. While emersedand floating-leaved plants obtain most of theirnitrogen and phosphorus from the pond bot-tom, algae attached to their stems (called epi-phytes) can also tie up some nutrients andthereby suppress phytoplankton growth. Float-ing leaved plants will also suppress algae growthby shading. Because rooted plants and theirepiphytes can absorb nutrients and facili-tate transformation of certain pollutants,such as nitrogen containing compounds,to less detrimental forms, plant life grow-ing on littoral shelves may in some caseshelp protect receiving waters from pollut-ants present in surface water run off. Float-ing plants are also effective at suppressingphytoplankton because they obtain all oftheir nitrogen and phosphorus from thepond water and cause shading.

All types of aquatic macrophytes har-bor insects. These may be insects that feeddirectly on plants (phytophagous) or preda-tory insects, which prey on other insects orsmall fish. In turn, these insects providefood for fish and bird life.

The presence or absence and the typesof plants in urban ponds may affect the birdlife that frequents ponds. Birds use largeaquatic plants, including adjacent shrubsand trees for nesting, resting and refugesites. Macrophytes are also used as food bybirds and the plants provide habitat forother food items. For example, cattails arereported to be primary habitat for least bit-terns, red-winged blackbirds, and boat-tailed grackles, whereas wading birds, rails,and ducks may avoid tall and mediumheight (duck potato and pickerlweed) veg-etation. Ducks are often found associatedwith lakes that contain hydrilla, a majorfood source for them. Trees, such as cypressand black gum provide perches and restingplaces for a variety of birds, which hunt forfood in ponds.

Certain plants can provide ornamental oraesthetic value in urban ponds. Plants such asduck potato and pickerelweed provide showyflowers during bloom. Plants such as bulrushcan provide bright green stems and foliage.All plants provide interesting shapes andscreens that add aesthetic variety to the pond.And for the butterfly enthusiast, butterfly gar-dens can be created on pond margins and lit-toral shelves with proper selection of plantingmaterial. The use of aquatic plants to improvethe appearance of an urban pond, oraquascaping, can be included as part of theoverall landscape design. Additional informa-tion pertaining to aquatic plant identification,etc. can be obtained from the IFAS Center forAquatic Plants (352/392-1799, http://aquatl.ifas.ufl.edu/)or the County Coopera-tive Extension Service office. See Chapter 6 -Resources & References for the address andphone number in your area.

▼ Common Egret


51

Problems Associated withPlant Life in Urban Ponds

Abundant phytoplankton in pondwater will provide food to support a foodchain for wildlife, such as wading birds.However, the more abundant the phy-toplankton, the more green pond waterwill appear, and this is sometimes con-sidered objectionable to homeowners wholive on urban ponds. When very highamounts of nutrients are present in wa-ter, phytoplankton abundance can be-come very objectionable, and fishkills canactually occur if phytoplankton die natu-rally during cloudy weather. Certain typesof phytoplankton, called blue-green algae,can cause blooms that result in scums onthe surface of pond water and foul odors.Another type of algae, called filamentousalgae because they have the form of longintertwined, matted filaments, can alsocause unsightly conditions and foul odors.

Plant material produced through pho-tosynthesis is eventually deposited to thepond bottom during a plant’s life cycle.This material, called detritus, is brokendown by organisms. Part of the detritusis broken down relatively rapidly, while aportion of it is relatively resistant to break-down. Raw materials incorporated intoplant tissue are released back into thepond water as detritus breaks down.Therefore, if large amounts of plant tis-sue are deposited in the water, algaeblooms can occur as these nutrients be-come available, or the nutrients can bereleased out of the pond. Breakdown ofdetritus is slower when oxygen is in shortsupply therefore, when the pond surfaceis covered by dense floating plants, suchas duckweed, which blocks sunlight foralgal production and oxygen diffusion,breakdown of detritus is slower and ac-cumulation of detritus is faster. Whenplant material is deposited faster than it

breaks down, it accumulates on the pondbottom. This accumulation can be objec-tionable and is often referred to as muckby homeowners. Detrital accumulationgradually reduces the volume of a pondand therefore, its ability to retain stormwater. Detritus is flocculent and can eas-ily become resuspended in the pond wa-ter, which further reduces water clarityand stimulates algae blooms.

Just as aquatic plant life provides habi-tat for insects that are food for wildlife,they also provide habitat for mosquitoes,which are a nuisance and health hazardin urban areas. Aquatic plant life aidsmosquito survival and reproduction inseveral ways:

1. Mosquitoes are protected frompredators, such as insect-eating fish.

2. Reduced wave action provides bet-ter survival of mosquito larvae, whichbreathe by sticking an air tube up throughthe water.

3. Detritus produced by aquatic plantsprovides mosquito habitat.

4. A specialized group of mosquitoes,known as mansonia, have a modified airtube that they insert into aquatic plantsto obtain oxygen. These mosquitoes canuse most any vegetation that occurs inpond sediments and has soft tissues.


Maintain an open water permanentpool in stormwater ponds, and stockthem with mosquito fish to reduce mos-quito problems.

52


Certain plants grow faster, producedenser growth, produce detritus more rap-idly and crowd out more desirable plants.Just as in gardens, landscapes, or crops,unwanted plants occur, which we refer toas weeds. What makes a plant a weed in apond is that it has one or more attributesthat make it undesirable. Weeds are typi-cally more of a problem in new ponds ornewly established aquascapes. New pondsare disturbed habitats, which are vulner-able to colonization by plants called pio-neering species. Pioneering species arethose that have attributes that facilitatecolonizing new or disturbed habitats.They produce many seeds that are dis-persed by wind or wide-ranging animals,such as birds. Seedlings of pioneeringplants are able to grow very quickly andthen become dense by spreading via un-derground stems and tillers. Because oftheir dense growth and ability to out-com-pete other plants that may be consideredmore desirable, pioneering plants are of-ten considered weedy. In addition to natu-ral dispersal mechanisms, weedy, pioneer-ing plants may be introduced into thepond during construction by construc-tion-equipment.

Certain plants may grow faster anddenser than others and be consideredweeds because they crowd out other plantsthat are considered desirable for their aes-thetic value, bird or butterfly association,or for other reasons. Fast, densely grow-ing plants may also be undesirable becausethey produce detritus rapidly and there-fore increase the rate of muck build-up.

Management of Plant Lifein Urban Ponds

Plant life needs to be managed in ur-ban ponds to insure that the pond func-tions as it was intended. Ponds may beconstructed in urban areas strictly forlandscape purposes, but they are oftenconstructed with the primary purpose offlood protection from storm water and fortreatment of storm water to protect re-ceiving waters. Wildlife habitat is an an-cillary benefit in either case and aestheticvalue can also be derived from a pondwhose primary purpose is storm waterdetention. Storm water managementponds in which aquatic plants will occurand need management are referred to aswet detention ponds and maintenance ofplant life may be regulated under the con-struction permit issued by the WaterManagement District. The ponds are of-ten constructed with a littoral shelf thatis required by the permit and a require-ment for maintaining certain densities ofcertain plants on the littoral shelf.

An urban pond is like many otherthings: The more you want out of it, themore you have to put into it. Vegetationis managed differently for different ben-efits, sometimes called management ob-jectives, that are to be derived from apond. Options in unpermitted pondsrange from open water reflection pondsto intense aquascaping but special prac-tices must often be used to conform topermit requirements in surface water de-tention ponds. In ponds with littoralplantings, practices to selectively controlproblem plants without damaging littoralshelves must be implemented. Some per-mits will stipulate certain control meth-ods that may not be used. Therefore, be-fore using an algicide, herbicide, or grasscarp in a permitted surface water deten-tion pond it is necessary to check with a


53

water management district official to de-termine permit requirements. Manage-ment of vegetation for certain combina-tions of benefits may be mutually exclu-sive and certain compromises may haveto be made.

An unmanaged pond will often havevegetation that is objectionable to mosthomeowners and will also have problemswith drainage and mosquito production.Once vegetation in a pond has been al-lowed to get out of control it is very diffi-cult to get it back down to a manageablelevel. It is much easier to keep the vegeta-tion managed by frequently attending toproblems or potential problems. It is alsorelatively easy to maintain a pond free ofvegetation but trade-offs for certain typesof wildlife habitat will be made and cer-tain permitted ponds will have a require-ment for vegetation. The most difficult,but most rewarding, situation is to main-tain a pond with a population of desir-able vegetation, while keeping weedyplants to a minimum.

Practices commonly used to manageplant life in ponds include modificationof cultural practices surrounding thepond, hand removal of plants, triploidgrass carp (a plant-eating fish), and her-bicides (and algaecides). Chemicals,which are registered by the US Environ-mental Protection Agency for use in wa-ter should only be used as a last resort.Information on specific herbicides that areregistered for aquatic use can be obtainedfrom your County Cooperative ExtensionOffice. The method or combination ofmethods to be used will depend on themanagement objectives. Selectivity (theability of the practice to control certainplants and not others), secondary envi-ronmental effects to the pond, and per-

mit restrictions are the most importantconsiderations when determining the veg-etation management practices to be used.

Management of aquatic plants in ur-ban ponds should be carried out by indi-viduals who have been certified by theFlorida Department of Agriculture andConsumer Services, as restricted use pes-ticide applicators in the aquatic category,after completion of University of Florida,IFAS certification training. Certificationtraining materials can be obtained fromIFAS Publications (352/392-1764).Homeowners are advised to contract areputable pond management company formost vegetation management programs.


Some pond weed problems can besolved by plant eating fish instead ofchemicals. Triploid Grass Carp are a ge-netically altered variety that can efficientlycontrol some plants when used as part ofa comprehensive management plan. How-ever, this fish is not a solution for everypond weed problem. Contact the FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation Commis-sion to determine if your stormwater pondis right for grass carp. You will need to ob-tain a permit to buy the fish and there aresome guidelines to follow to assure theystay in your pond. Their phone number inLakeland is (863) 648-3205.

54


PhytoplanktonGreen turbid water caused by abun-

dant phytoplankton is the result of highlevels of nutrients in pond water, particu-larly nitrogen and phosphorous. Nutrientsmay occur in naturally high amounts butthey are also contained in fertilizer, whichis applied to lawns in the watershed. If nu-trients are naturally high in water thatfeeds the pond or in soils in the drainagearea of the pond, the pond will be highlyproductive and will either have abundantgrowth of large plants or phytoplankton. Inthis situation homeowners must accept greenturbid water. Where nutrients are naturally low,relatively clear water will occur unless impactedby cultural practices. In this case, it will be nec-essary to determine the source of nutrients andremove or minimize the source. Fertilizers usedfor fertilizing turf grass, faulty septic systems,or re-use water (treated sewage effluent) arecommon sources of nutrients in urban ponds.

Phytoplankton may occur as blooms when

optimum growth conditions occur or as amore or less continuous condition. In eithercase, use of algaecide to reduce phytoplank-ton is not recommended for the following rea-sons: 1)Fish mortality is likely to occur astreated phytoplankton decay and are nolonger producing oxygen. 2)Phytoplank-ton are very resilient, and will quickly re-occur if suitable conditions for growthprevail.

Aeration may help correct certainproblems associated with phytoplankton.Certain blue green algae blooms will re-sult in surface scums and aeration willhelp disperse these. Ponds that are heavilyvegetated with macrophytes may havelower phytoplankton abundance com-pared to nonvegetated ponds and less fre-quent blooms. However, seasonal bloomsmay occur when macrophytes senesce andrelease nutrients into the pond water atthe end of the growing season.

Aquatic Plant Groups �


55

Filamentous AlgaeFilamentous algae are one of the most

common and most difficult problems todeal with in urban ponds. Like phy-toplankton, filamentous algae obtain nu-trients from the pond water. Therefore,filamentous algae may be reduced if nu-trient inputs to the pond water can bereduced and problems may be less if thepond is heavily vegetated with macro-phytes. However, some problems withfilamentous algae may still occur. Fila-mentous algae problems that cannot becorrected by reduction of nutrients canbe managed by application of algaecideor hand removal or a combination ofboth. It is best to keep filamentous algaeto a minimum by frequent hand removaland/or frequent application of algaecideto small areas of algae. Treatment of theentire pond with an algaecide is likely tocause fish mortality due to lowering ofoxygen in the water. Grass carp can beused for managing filamentous algae buthigh numbers are needed and they can-not be used for selective control whenother plants are present.

Endothall amine (Hydrothol 191) andcopper compounds are the only currentlyavailable and tested algaecides. Hydrothol191 is toxic to fish at concentrations ofabout 1 PPM. Filamentous algae can becontrolled at concentrations less than thisbut extreme care must be taken if fishmortality is a concern. Copper com-pounds too can be toxic to fish in lowalkalinity (usually indicated by low hard-ness) water, while the margin of safety ishigher in water with high alkalinity. Inaddition to the concern for direct toxic-ity, whole-pond application of algaecideis likely to result in fish mortality as a re-sult of oxygen depletion, and this is agreater concern when water temperature

is high. Therefore, the key to filamentousalgae control is to keep populations at alow level by frequent spot treatments be-ginning early in the growing season whenwater temperature is low. If it is necessaryto get dense populations under control,some physical removal may be necessaryto reduce the biomass and some fish mor-tality may have to be accepted. Then, keepthe problem to a manageable level.

Certain species of filamentous algae aretolerant to copper. Sometimes, after re-peated use of copper for filamentous al-gae control a population of copper-toler-ant population of algae will remain. If thisphenomenon is suspected, a sample of thealgae population should be identified bya specialist to confirm if this is the case soalternative methods can be used.


Rake out filamentous algae, dry iton the banks on the pond, and thenuse it for mulch!

56


Floating PlantsThe most common floating plants that

can become problems include water-hya-cinth (Eichhornia crassipes), water-lettuce(Pistia stratiotes), duckweed (Lemna sp.,Spirodela sp.), watermeal (Wolfia sp.), wa-ter fern (Salvinia minima), and mosquitofern (Azolla caroliniana). Floating plants, likealgae, will be the greatest problem un-der high nutrient conditions. Therefore,limiting nutrient run-off from artificialsources may reduce the problem. However,under most circumstances sufficient nutri-ents will be available to allow for growth offloating plants to problem levels.

Small amounts of floating plants will notbe detrimental to ponds but populationsshould be kept to a minimum. If allowedto proliferate and cover the pond, anoxicconditions will result beneath the mat andorganic sedimentation will be increased. Wa-ter-hyacinth will aggressively displace other veg-etation, which may be desired, in the pond.Uninformed homeowners will sometimes in-troduce water-hyacinth into a pond. There-fore, education is the first step toward prevent-ing this problem. Other floating plants canbe naturally introduced by wildlife.

If detected early enough, water-hyacinthand water-lettuce can be hand removed.However, once detected constant surveil-lance is necessary to insure that all water-hyacinth plants have been eliminated. Witha doubling time of about two weeks underideal growing conditions, the situation canquickly become out of hand. Once a wa-ter-hyacinth population is beyond the handremoval stage, spot treatments of herbicideproducts that contain the active ingredients2,4-D (various products) or diquat (Re-ward®) can be used for selective control,or diquat for water-lettuce. Remove thedead vegetation to reduce bottom build up.

Duckweed, waterfern, and mosquitoferncan be kept at low levels by frequent spotapplications of Reward®. Watermeal is tol-erant to Reward®. Duckweed, waterfern,mosquitofern, and watermeal can be con-trolled with sequential, low-dose applica-tions of the fluridone containing herbicideSonar® a.s.(liquid formulation). Someplants used for littoral shelf plantings, suchas arrowhead (Sagittaria sp.), bulrush(Scirpus sp.), pickerelweed (Pontederia sp.),and softrush (Juncus effuses), are tolerant tofluridone, whereas others, such as water-lily (Nymphaea sp.) and spatterdock(Nuphar luteum) may be damaged.Therefore, permit requirements or trade-offs that homeowners are willing to ac-cept must be determined before using So-nar® to control these floating plants.Fluridone will not be effective whererapid water exchange occurs.

Triploid grass carp can be used to helpkeep duckweed, waterfern, and mosquito fernunder control in ponds but their effectivenessis unpredictable and they may damage littoralplantings after a period of time. Therefore, ifgrass carp are used, littoral shelves should bemonitored so that grass carp can be removedif necessary.


Ponds require the same amount oflandscape maintenance, weeding,thinning, trimming, as uplands.


57

Submersed PlantsWhile submersed plants, such as

hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), providecertain wildlife values, most are objection-able in small urban ponds. Because rootedsubmersed plants can derive nutrientsfrom both the water and hydrosoil theycan proliferate under all but the mostnutrient poor conditions. Therefore, theymay not respond noticeably to nutrientreductions.

Most submersed plants can be selec-tively controlled with herbicides withoutcausing permanent damage to littoralshelves. Careful application of potassiumendothall (Aquathol K) will control sen-sitive submersed plants such as hydrilla,southern naiad (Najas quadalupensis),bladderwort (Utricularia sp.), and others(refer to herbicide labels and othersources), while emergent and floatingleaved plants will not be damaged. Rou-tine applications of the herbicide will benecessary during the growing season andthe frequency of application will dependon productivity of the pond and otherfactors.

Hydrilla, southern naiad, and bladder-wort can also be controlled with Sonar®,as well as proliferating spikerush, whichis tolerant to endothall. Sequential, low-dose applications of fluridone are best.Triploid grass carp will also control thesesubmersed plants but the same precau-tions for both fluridone and grass carp,previously mentioned, must be taken.

Submersed weed problems can bemanaged with grass carp, but it is usuallybest to get the problem under control

with at least one herbicide application andthen use grass carp for maintaining theproblem. Grass carp can be used to someextent to keep submersed weeds undercontrol with minimal damage to desirableemersed plants. However, as stated ear-lier, the effect of stocking grass carp inponds is unpredictable. Desirable vegeta-tion may be damaged or acceptable con-trol may not be achieved.Therefore, itmay be necessary to remove some grasscarp or stock additional ones as timegoes on.

58


Emersed Plants andFloating-leaved Plants

Among emergent plants are some ofthe most desirable and most troublesomeplants in urban ponds. Maintaining apond with a diversity of desirable plantsrequires selective removal of weedy plantsand this is the most difficult managementscenario, which will require intensive handremoval and careful herbicide applica-tions. In ponds that are densely vegetatedwith emergent vegetation, it will increasethe appearance of the pond and decreasethe rate of detrital accumulation ifsenesced vegetation is removed in the fallor spring.

Cattails (Typha sp.) and torpedograss(Panicum repens) are considered to benuisance plants in wet detention ponds.While cattails provide habitat for least bitterns,redwinged blackbirds, and boattailed grack-les, their presence is usually at the expense ofother emergent plants because of thecattail’s prolific growth. Likewise, al-though torpedograss is good wading birdhabitat, it is very prolific and will displaceother emergent vegetation and form a float-ing mat over deep water.

Cattails should be managed by fre-quently hand pulling, cutting, treatingwith glyphosate (Rodeo herbicide), andcombinations of these methods. Likeother prolific weeds, the key is to keepthe plants at a low level by frequent at-tention. If cattails are allowed to becomethe dominant vegetation on a littoral shelf,reducing their population to a manage-able level is very labor intensive and dam-aging to littoral shelf plantings. Regrowthfrom rhizome fragments that are left af-ter pulling or cutting should be treatedwhen the shoots are no greater than onefoot tall if possible.

Torpedograss is the most difficult tocontrol emergent weed in ponds. Repeatapplications of glyphosate are necessaryand up to six applications per year mustbe made. Careful application is neededto minimize contact to nontarget littoralplantings. Maintaining torpedograss atthe lowest level possible is essential. Onceit is allowed to proliferate, it will be ex-tremely difficult to get under control.

Sequential applications of low doses offluridone can be used to control cattailsand torpedograss where damage to sensi-tive plants such as water lily is acceptable.

Emergent littoral plantings are rela-tively tolerant to concentrations ofendothall and copper used for filamen-tous algae control, especially if carefulapplication is used to avoid contact withfoliage. Over spray on to foliage may causetemporary chlorosis but the entire plantwill not be killed because the algaecidedoes not act systemically. Newly plantedemergent plants have been observed to beless tolerant.

▲ Spatterdock


59

Vegetation RemovalTo maintain the permitted or required

treatment efficiency associated with a wetdetention pond, the littoral vegetationshould never be entirely removed or eradi-cated with chemicals. At least 30% of thesurface area of the pond must remain veg-etated with appropriate vegetation. Agood management plan that provides forperiodic removal of aquatic vegetation atselect locations on a rotational basis isstrongly encouraged. This practice helpsto remove accumulated nutrients thatotherwise promote over enrichment di-minishing the treatment capacity and aes-thetic value, and increasing the need formajor maintenance like dredging. When

done regularly mechanical removal bycutting, raking, hooking and/or diggingcan help control unwanted aquatics suchas cattails and water lettuce. The harvestedvegetation should be composted at anupland site and used for mulch. It shouldnot be left in or around the pond. As asecondary benefit to harvest and removalmore active growth of desired plants suchas pickerelweed and arrowhead is alsoencouraged. Harvesting the vegetationincreases the rate of assimilation of nu-trients by increasing plant growth and canbalance the loss of treatment associatedwith the reduction in plants.

Periodic removal of aquatic vegetation by cut-ting, raking, hooking and/or digging can helpcontrol unwanted aquatics such as cattails andwater lettuce. ▼

60


Wildlife ManagementSeveral factors should be considered

when trying to select a site or to managea pond area that will maximize benefitsto wildlife. Pond designers and managersneed to take into account the many rela-tionships between pond systems and thesurrounding uplands. For example, femaleturtles that live most of their lives in thewater must come out of the water one dayeach spring to dig a hole in a sandy up-land area and lay her eggs. Many amphib-ians spend their adult lives in upland for-ests. Sometimes culverts or other under-passes can serve as a means of linking sur-rounding habitats to ponds that may beisolated by roads.

The large scale focus should be on re-storing the natural distribution and diver-sity of ponds within a large area that in-cludes the project site. Some wildlife spe-cies, such as wading birds and migratorybirds, are very mobile and require accessto a variety of different ponds and wet-lands. The variety of wildlife that use apond at a specific location depends on

several site conditions, including the in-tensity of land use surrounding the pond,the size and three-dimensional shape ofthe pond, and how much the pond is iso-lated from natural habitats. Many species,especially migratory birds, may only usea pond during limited times of the yearas they migrate through an area.

Seeds, fruits and tubers produced bythe vegetation found in stormwater pondsare heavily used by a wide variety of in-sects, birds, and larger wildlife. Many ofthe nutrients in these plant products arethen exported out of the wetland systemthrough feces and through decay whenthe animal dies. For example, treefrogsleave the aquatic tadpole stage for an adultlife in trees.

Wildlife are also important seed dis-persers. Animals disperse seeds not onlywithin the same wetland, but they alsotransport seeds to other wetlands throughtheir migratory and dispersal movementpatterns.

A mallard family of ducks enjoying a swim. ▼


61

Many recreational activities are depen-dent on wetlands and can be enhancedby improving wetland habitat and aresomewhat related to stormwater ponds.Hunting, trapping and fishing are con-sumptive uses, although limited instormwater pond settings, of wetland ani-mals. These activities are important eco-nomically as well as for their recreationalvalue. Over $300 million is spent annu-ally by about 2 million waterfowl hunt-ers in the US. The nesting success of thesebirds is wetland dependent. At least halfof all saltwater and nearly all freshwaterfishing activities are dependent on wet-lands to produce their catch. Annually,this provides an economic value of nearly$20 billion dollars in the US.

Nonconsumptive uses of wetlands,such as hiking, bird watching, and pho-tography also are important uses of wet-lands. It is estimated that over 60 millionAmericans visit wetland areas each yearfor these types of uses. Almost 1/2 bil-lion dollars is spent each year in Floridaon bird watching and feeding. Many birdscan be found in the vicinity of stormwaterponds.

More than one hundred species of mam-mals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish canbe found in Florida’s ponds (Table 2. shownon pages 68 and 69).

☞

Stormwater PondTIP

Do not encourage the feeding ofwildlife. Waterfowl become accustomedto handouts and breed accordingly.They can overpopulate and become anuisance.

Even in dry-down conditions, pondsites provide damp habitats requiredby many amphibians, reptiles, birds,and small mammals.

62


Pond Features That BenefitFish and Wildlife

Shape and Depth:At least 1/3 of the total pond area

should be less than 2 feet deep (littoralzone for plant growth). The shoreline isan extremely productive habitat area of apond. Many insects, frogs, small fish and,upland visitors to the pond concentratealong the pond edge. An irregular shapedpond will provide more of this importanthabitat than a circular pond.

Islands:Islands provide more shoreline for fish

habitat and increase the feeding area forspecies such as wading birds. They alsoare safe places for birds to nest and roost,and for turtles to sunbathe away from cats,dogs, and people.

Slope and Mudflats:Gently sloping ponds provide shallow

water habitat for plants, wading birds,small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Aslope of 10:1 (10 feet from the pond edge,the water would be 1 foot deep) along thepond edge is recommended. A steeperslope would be more suitable for pollutedponds where you want to reduce use bywading birds and other wildlife and tolimit plant growth (habitat) along theshoreline.

Mudflats provide unique feeding ar-eas for shorebirds that probe their billsinto the soil to feed on invertebrates.Water-level fluctuations and water move-ment help to keep some areas free fromvegetation. Mechanically scraping theshoreline will provide the same result.

Logs and Overhanging Branches:Turtles, many water birds, and mam-

mals (such as raccoons and otters) use logsas resting and feeding platforms. Fish hideunder logs and feed on algae and inverte-brates attracted to these structures. Over-hanging branches are perfect perches forkingfishers (birds that dive into the waterto catch small fish). Fish are also attractedto branches that extend out over the water.

Plants:Plants provide both food and cover for

many species. The sun’s energy is trans-formed into food energy in plants. Ani-mals that consume these plants then ex-pand the flow of energy and nutrients intofood webs. Animals, like crawfish, snails,clams, worms and small fish, eat the plantmaterial directly or graze on the bacteria,algae and fungi that grow on the surfaceof these plants. Large animals, such as fish,wading birds and many mammals, feedon these vegetarians.

Aquatic plants are also good hidingplaces for prey animals. Such areas aremajor nursery grounds for many of thelarger fish. These nursery grounds are ofparticular importance to most wadingbirds and other wildlife that rely onaquatic foods.


63

Bird Houses:Many birds that use wetlands, such as

purple martins, swallows and woodducks, nest in cavities or holes in trees.These animals are important members ofaquatic food webs and may not be ableto use a pond that has plenty of food butno nearby nesting structures. Plans and de-sign specifications are available through theCounty Cooperative Extension Service.

MATERIALS LIST:1” THICK ROUGH CYPRESS RED WOOD,OR TREATED PINE.

ONE CEDAR, CYPRESS OR TREATED POST,LONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW BOX TO BEERECTED ABOVE HIGH WATER LEVEL.

4-6 SHT. METAL SCREWS OR POP RIVOTS.2-SMALL HARDWARE HINGES1-SMALL SCREEN DOOR HOOK AND EYES.1-PLATE (4’-0’ X 4’-0’) OF THIN SHEET METAL.ONE 12’ X 4’ X 1/4” MESH HARDWARE CLOTH,SHAVINGS AND SAWDUST AS ILLUSTRATED.ONE LAG BOLT.


Wood duck nest boxes should be placed overwater or in woodland habitat near lakes, ponds,marshes and rivers. If placed above the ground,the box should 30-100 feet from the water’s edgeand 10-20 feet above ground. The distance towater should be free of obstacles to newlyhatched ducklings. One nest box per 5 acresof suitable brood habitat is suggested. Do noterect boxes if brood rearing habitat is not avail-able. Detail plans and design specifications areavailable through the County Cooperative Ex-tension Service.

� Increasing wood duck num-bers can be accomplished by pro-viding adequate nesting sitesthat are protected by predators.

At least6-feetabovewater

Metalguard shouldextend about

16 inchesfrom pole.

64


Negative Considerations ofDesigning Stormwater Pondsfor Fish and Wildlife

Heavy metal accumulation and un-naturally high nutrient loads in ponds cancause unhealthy conditions for fish andwildlife. High concentrations of mercuryand zinc can be lethal. Excessively highlevels of nitrogen from fertilizers, sewage,or other sources c an provide ideal habitatconditions for certain parasitic worms thatcan kill young wading birds that are fedinfected fish. (i.e. eustrongylides ignotusparasitic worm.)

For these reasons, it is not recom-mended to design ponds for fish and wild-life if these structures will retain waterrunoff from parking lots, streets, and in-dustrial parks. Ponds in residential settingswith an upland vegetation buffer that fil-ters out chemicals from the incomingstormwater are least likely to have prob-lems. Golf courses may be acceptable sitesfor fish and wildlife ponds depending onthe amount of pesticides, and other

chemicals which may enter ponds. Highlevels of nutrients from fertilizers will notdirectly harm fish. However, the dense al-gal and aquatic plant growth that is likelyto result in productive water may eventu-ally be lethal fish when much of the oxy-gen in the water is used to decomposelarge amounts of dead plant material.

In questionable situations, severalponds at different elevations connectedby ditches may help to concentrate harm-ful chemicals in the uppermost ponds (notdesigned for fish and wildlife) so that thelower ponds in the chain would be theleast likely to have toxicity problems.Because most (90%) of the pollutants arecarried off site in the first inch of rainfall,treating this first flush is the key to pollu-tion abatement.

▲

Sandhill Cranesand their young.


65

Dealing With NuisanceWildlife Situations

Ponds attract a large variety of mam-mals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.Most all of them have the potential tocause at least perceived problems forpeople. These problems are endless andinclude things such as being irritated byfrogs singing at night to seeing snakes thatare attracted to a pond. Just as positiveinteractions and attitudes toward wildlifeare too numerous to mention, negativeencounters also do not deserve attentionhere. The best method for control andprevention of a wildlife-related problem,whether or not it is associated with apond, is the same practical proceduremost people follow to address problemscaused by other adults, children or pets.First clearly define what situation is un-desirable and then take steps necessary toreduce or eliminate the specific problem-causing situation. Contact your local ex-tension office for information regardingproblems that you are unable to resolve.

Misunderstandings are commoncauses of many frustrations and fears thatpeople have about wildlife. For example,contrary to popular belief, most snakesin Florida couldn’t even hurt you, let alonekill you. Most bats don’t carry rabies.Separating myths from facts can alleviatemany of these phobias and help you toappreciate wildlife more for their beneficialvalues, particularly in our urban environments.

The Florida Constitution has desig-nated the Florida Fish and Wildlife Con-servation Commission as the legal stew-ard of the native wildlife resources of thestate. The mission of this state agency isto manage freshwater aquatic life and wildanimal life and their habitats to perpetu-ate a diversity of species with densities anddistributions that provide sustained eco-logical, recreational, scientific, educa-tional, aesthetic, and economic benefits.

There are certain laws, rules, and regu-lations with which anyone who is bait-ing, trapping, transporting, or killingnuisance wildlife should be aware.


Learn to love your ponddwelling critters... Snakes eat rats!

66


Nuisance Wildlife Management:Weeds have been defined as plants

whose usefulness have not yet been dis-covered. When growing where they are notspecifically wanted, plants can becomeweeds. Nuisance wildlife pests are like weedsin that their usefulness has not been dis-covered and they often inhabit areas wherethey are specifically not wanted, namely,pond areas near homes. This is becausestormwater ponds are sometimes the onlyareas left within developed area that havenot been converted to pavement, buildings,or manicured landscapes. Many ponds arenot maintained to be “pest free”, so wild-life left in the area end up inhabiting theponds and surrounding areas. Also, pondsmay be the only source of water for wildanimals remaining in preserved natural ar-eas in the vicinity.

There are many ways to control “pests”,depending on the type of “pest” and theamount of time, energy and money avail-able to combat them. When developing anuisance wildlife pest management plan forpond areas, determine which targets youfind most irritating. These are the targetson which you may want to spend most ofyour resources. But before you decide toexterminate a particular “pest” from yourpond site, be aware of the side effects yourefforts may have on the wildlife that you

enjoy visiting your pond. Also be aware ofthe impacts your actions can have on thenatural predators at your pond, which canprovide free pest control. For example, ifyou want to remove all snakes from yourpond site, consider that many snakes feedon mice, rats, and other snakes, so tryingto eradicate all snakes may cause an increasein other pests. Also, some chemicals usedto combat insects can accumulate in thefish species that feed on those insects, andcan eventually kill the fish, or kill the birdsthat eat the fish, and so on. Finally, it maynot be physically possible to eradicate a pestfrom your pond. The best way to combatpests is to alter their environment so that thepond site is not inviting. They’ll go elsewhere.

Common Pond Pestsand Ways to Combat Them:

Alligators: Alligators were once on theendangered species list in Florida due toextensive hunting and loss of habitat; now,due to hunting regulations and protectionof their habitat, they are still protected, buthave been placed in the less critical “speciesof special concern” category. Alligators feedon turtles, fish, birds, and most other smallanimals that cross their paths. They inhabitnatural wetlands, swamps, rivers and ponds,however, where natural wetland areas havebeen eliminated, alligators have moved tourban stormwater ponds and canals. Thebest way to deal with alligators who havemoved to your pond is to accept theirpresence and stay out of their way. Ac-cording to the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission (FFWCC), inmany cases, if left unmolested, alligatorsthree (3) feet and less in length are notaggressive or territorial and will eventu-ally retreat to more preferred habitats awayfrom people. However, they advise youto use ordinary common care and avoidbeing near thick vegetation along shore-

▲ Alligators like ponds too...


67

lines, do not feed alligators (feeding themwill reduce their fear of humans and mayencourage them to move closer, and feed-ing alligators is against Florida law), anddo not leave pet food out, this too will at-tract alligators, as well as other unwantedanimals and insects. The FFWCC alsonotes that it is a violation of state law toremove alligators from their natural habi-tat. If you observe an alligator greater thanthree (3) feet long call the FFWCC to ar-range for its removal.

For removal of nuisance alligators, con-tact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser-vation Commission at (863) 648-3203 inLakeland.

Snakes: You may encounter harmlessblack racers, rat snakes, and mud snakesnear water bodies, especially if there is coverprovided and sources of food such as ratsand mice. So, if you don’t want rodents,don’t kill snakes! Poisonous cottonmouthsnakes do inhabit vegetated ponds and ad-jacent forested areas, but again these ani-mals feed on rodents, so don’t kill them!People often confuse the poisonous cotton-mouth snakes with the harmless, and pro-tected, indigo snakes, which is a good rea-son why the old adage “the only good snakeis a dead snake” is WRONG! Harming aprotected species is illegal. The best thingto do when encountering a snake is to turnaround and go the other way. The snakewill usually do the same.

For removal of poisonous, nuisancesnakes, contact the FFWCC at (863) 648-3203 in Lakeland. Also contact them toreceive guides to venomous and nonven-omous snakes, to help you identify thesnakes you encounter.

Mosquitoes: Keeping a pond well-main-tained and as free-flowing as possible usu-ally reduces the amount of mosquitoes inthe pond. A “well maintained” pond in-cludes keeping inflow and outflow struc-

tures free- flowing by removing sedimentand clogging vegetation, maintaining afringe of desirable emergent vegetation (aswell as the required littoral zone vegetationin some ponds), removing as much unde-sirable vegetation as possible (water hya-cinth, water lettuce, etc.), maintaining astock of mosquito-fish (Gambusia min-nows) and ensuring that a portion of thepond is deep enough to maintain a perma-nent pool so that the fish can live throughdry seasons. Purple martin houses or bathouses can be erected near the pond; theseanimals feed off of mosquitoes as well asother flying insects and attracting them toyour pond may help reduce the amount ofmosquitoes. However, know that yourpond may not be the only source ofmosquito’s in your neighborhood -mosquito’s thrive in small puddles in flowerpots, tires, kiddies pools, tree crevices, bro-meliads, bottles, etc., that are left in the yardto collect rain. They survive in grass andunder leaves!

In summary, the best way to deal withpests is to avoid them and to make yourown yard unattractive to pests. Since wehave to share the world with all sorts ofanimals, and since some of them provideunseen as well as known benefits to hu-mans, keeping a secluded area away fromhomes in a wild state will attract the peststo that location rather than to yards andwill allow us to live with, rather than try toeradicate, these animals.

68


slammaM—seicepS

emosfosdeentatibaH slammam.sdnopotdetcarttaebyamtaht smetI noitacoL

WS S U C I P R M F L W A

werhStsaeL X X X X

taReciRhsraM X X X X X X X

kniM X X X X X X X

staB X X X X

nooccaR X X X X X X X X X X

sdriB—seicepS

emosfosdeentatibaHsdrib ebyamtaht

.sdnopotdetcartta

gnitseN gnideeF

smetI noitacoL

WS SO U C I F P O D S L AeberGdelliB-deiP X X X X

kcuDdooW X X X X X X

noreHneerG X X X X X

noreHeulBelttiL X X X X X X

noreHeulBtaerG X X X X X X

tergEtaerG X X X X X X

nrettiBtsaeL X X X X X

agnihnA X X X X X X

liaRgniK X X X X X

nehrooMnommoC X X X X X

tooCnaciremA X X X X X X X

rehsifgniKdetleB X X X X X

kwaHderedluohS-deR X X X X

lwOderraB X X X X X X

dribkcalBdegniW-deR X X X X X X

nitraMelpruP X X X X X X

taorhtwolleYnommoC X X X X X X

relbraWyratonohtorP X X X X X

laeTdegniW-neerG

sdribesehTnideerbtonod

.S.UnretsaehtuoS

X X X

drallaM X X X X

daehelffuB X X X

resnagreMdedooH X X X

repipdnaSdettopS X X X X X

epinSnommoC X X X X

worrapSpmawS X X X X

Table 2. Wildlife Species List

SW- Shallow water zoneS - Shoreline zoneU - Uplands away from the shorelineC- Caves and treesI - Insects and other invertebrates

P - Plants, seeds, and fruitsR - Reptiles and amphibiansM - MammalsF - Fish

L - LandW - WaterA - Air

SW- Over shallow waterOS - Over shorelineU - Uplands away from the shorelineC - In trees cavity or nest boxI - Insects and other invertebrates,

including: crustaceans, mollusks, snails, and spiders

F - FishP - Plants and/or seedsO - Other food items

include: mammals, reptiles,amphibians, birds, and carrion

D - Deep waterS - Shallow waterL - LandA - Air


69

selitpeR—seicepS

emosfosdeentatibaH selitper.sdnopotdetcarttaebyamtaht

smetI noitacoLiL S U I F A P B D S L

eltruTksuM X X X X XeltruTduMnretsaE X X X X X X

eltruTnekcihC X X X X XllehstfoSynipS X X X X XeltruTgnippanS X X X X X

sretooC X XsredilS X X

ekanSduM X X X XekanShsifyarCyssolG X X X X X X

ekanSretaWneerG X X X XekanSnworB X

ekanSretaWdednaB X X X X X XekanSnobbiRnretsaE X X X X X X

ekanSretraGnretsaE X X X X X X X

snaibihpmA—seicepS

emosfosdeentatibaH snaibihpma.sdnopotdetcarttaebyamtaht

smetI noitacoLD WS S I C A S W L T

gorFtekcirC X X X

toofedapSnretsaE X X X X

gorflluB X X X X X X X X

repeePgnirpS X X X

gorfeerTneerG X X X X

gorFsurohC X X X

daoThtuomworraNnretsaE X X X X

gorFlerekciP X X X X

gorFdrapoeL X X X

daoTsrelwoF X X X X

rednamalaSyksuDdettopS X X X

tweNlartneC X X X

rednamalaSymilS X X X

rednamalaSdelbraM X X X

rednamalaSregiT X X X X

neriSresseL X X X X X

Li - Live-bearingS - Eggs laid in hole dug in shorelineU - Eggs laid in hole dug in upland away from shorelineI - Insects and other invertebratesF - FishA - Amphibians and reptiles

P - Plants and vegetationB - Muddy bottomD - Deep waterS - Shallow waterL - Land

D - Eggs laid in deep waterS W- Eggs laid in shallow water, usually attached to vegetationS - Eggs laid on shoreline or other moist areas on landI - Insects and other invertebratesC - Crustaceans

A - AmphibiansS - Any animal smaller than itselfW- WaterL - LandT - Trees

70


What can you do?Taking care of your stormwater pond

is up to you and your neighborhood.Look through these activity lists to dis-cover the steps to a better pond environ-ment.

Conserve Water❧ Fix drips and leaks.❧ Take shorter showers.❧ Turn off running water while show

ering, brushing teeth, washing face,shaving, or washing cars and trucks.

❧ Operate dishwashers and clotheswashers only when fully loaded.

❧ Install low flow fixtures on showerheads, faucets and toilets.

❧ Sweep instead of hosing down yourdriveway or sidewalk.

❧ Plant drought tolerant vegetation andreduce lawn area. Use drip irrigation.

❧ Collect roof runoff in cisterns orrainbarrels for irrigation.

Chapter 3

Beyond BasicPond Management

Protect Water❧ Dispose of hazardous materials

properly. Do not dump oils, paints,thinners, antifreeze, motor oil or otherhazardous materials down the drain.

❧ Try reducing the amount of fertil-izers and pesticides used on your lawn.Apply only when absolutely necessary.

❧ Carpool to reduce the amount of carson the road or use public transportation.

❧ Wash or rinse vehicles on a poroussurface so the water will soak into theground rather than becoming runoff.

❧ Volunteer! Get involved in water-shed management.

Pond management can be fun! ▼


71

What You Can Do TODAY❧ Take pond information to neighbors

to educate them about howstormwater ponds work.

❧ Pick up trash.❧ Take pictures of your pond; take

pictures of good areas as well as uglyareas and any trash. Take them withyou when you talk to neighborsabout pond improvements andpollution prevention.

❧ Remind neighbors to fertilizewisely, with slow release nitrogen,2 times a year.

❧ Remind neighbors to keep a “fertilizer-free” zone around the pond.

❧ Remind neighbors to keep grassclippings and leaves out of storm drains.

❧ Learn to identify the aquatic plantsin your pond.

❧ Ask your neighbors to join you informing a quarterly pondmaintenance group.

❧ Be sure to include kids in youreducational, planning , and work dayefforts; they can be a big help, and some-day they might have a pond to care for!

❧ Clean up pet manure to keep excess“nutrients” and disease-causing micro-organisms away from your pond.

❧ Practice organic gardening techniquesusing non-toxic products.

❧ Call your local government buildingdepartment and ask for an aerialphotograph of your neighborhoodincluding the pond area. Aerialsare usually of one square mile, ata scale of 1:200 feet; sometimesthey call them “blue-line aerials.”Looking at the aerial, determinehow your pond connects with thesurrounding area:

• Does your pond drain to anearby wetland or creek?

• Is your pond part of a“greenway” that wildlifedepends upon?

• Does your pond connect toanother pond in theneighborhood?

• Are there any businesses inyour pond’s drainage basin?

• The building departmentshould also have records ofyour neighborhood drainageplan, which will tell you exactlywhich houses are in yourpond’s “drainage basin.”Request a copy of this plan, andask for help interpreting the plan.

Everyone working to-gether can make a bet-ter stormwater pond en-vironment for theirneighborhoods.

▲

72


What You Can❧ Ask your neighbors to join you in a

pond walk; complete a pondinspection form and pond sketchas you walk around the pond.

❧ Identify two key nuisance plants inyour pond that everyone in yourpond group will learn to identifyand will remove from the pond areaevery time they see it growing there.

❧ Schedule four quarterly work days,and tell everyone in your pondgroup to mark their calendars now!

❧ Review your pond inspection formand use your notes to plan the activitiesfor the next pond work day.

❧ Talk with a local native aquaticplant nursery and ask for priceson these plants:

• Saururus cernuus, lizard’s tail• Iris virginica, blue flag iris• Spartina bakeri, sand cordgrass• Canna flacida, golden canna• Sagittaria lancifolia, duck potato• Sagittaria graminea• Pontederia spp., pickerelweed• Juncus effusus, soft rush• Myrica cerifera, wax myrtle• Cephalanthus occidentalis,

button bush• Quercus laurifolia, laurel oak• Acer rubrum, red maple• Taxodium spp., cypress• Celtis laevigata, sugarberry• Ulmus americana, elm• Liquidambar styraciflua, sweetgum

Except for the trees and shrubs, askfor bare-root prices; liners are too small,and quarts or gallons leave you with a lotof pots to deal with! It is easy and eco-nomical to use bare-root plants whenbuying aquatic plants.

❧ Have a meeting with your neighborsto discuss a planting plan: selectplants, set a budget, set a pondplanting date.

❧ Get a storm drain marking kit foryour neighborhood storm drains.This is a great activity for kids! Themarkers have pollution preventionmessages on them to discouragedumping in the storm drains.

Try these resources to get your kit:• stormwater department at your city

or county government• local cooperative extension service

environmental and horticultureprograms

• LAKEWATCH Program at theUniversity of Florida

• local Water Management District(numbers listed in Chapter 6 - Resources & References)

Spray-paint kits used to be popular forstorm drain marking, but it is messy andit doesn’t last long. Look for a resourcethat has metal or plastic markers that glueor fasten onto the concrete.

❧ Ask for door hangers or other printedmaterial to distribute throughout theneighborhood at the time of thestorm drain marking. They shouldexplain what the markers are for andhow each household can help improve water quality and preventstormwater pollution.


73

❧ If your neighborhood has septicsystems, ask a septic expert to speakat a homeowners meeting. Send outnotices to the neighborhoodoutlining appropriate inspectionand maintenance procedures forseptic systems. Improper leachingcan pollute your pond! Contact yourlocal government health department formore information.

❧ Find out if a “swale and berm” contouris appropriate for the yards aroundyour pond; this type of grading willfilter water through a soil berm beforeit enters your pond. Call your localWater Management District forrecommendations.

❧ Get soil testing kits from your localcooperative extension service. Getyour soil tested, and pass out kitsto your neighbors for their yards.Use the results to achieve proper fertilizer application levels. Give therecommendations to lawn care servicesworking in the neighborhood sothey can adjust their maintenanceroutine accordingly.

❧ Order a “Aquatic Plant IdentificationDeck” from the University ofFlorida Institute of Food andAgricultural Services:Call (352) 392-1799or (352) 392-1764 to order.

What You Can Do IN THE FUTURE❧ Send out a one-page newsletter to

your neighborhood that highlightsyour group’s efforts to have acleaner, safer pond environment.

❧ Look for “volunteer” native aquaticplant species growing in and aroundyour pond. Don’t pull out plantsunless you know for sure what it is,and you’re sure it shouldn’t be there!

❧ Identify all of the birds and other wildlife that visit your pond. Keep arecord, and share the “wildlifespottings” with your neighbors.Assign group members differenttimes of day to “watch for wildlife.”Include kids in this activity.Remember, insects and benthicorganisms are wildlife, too!

❧ Keep a record of monthly waterlevels for your pond for at least onefull year. This will help you knowwhat is “normal” for your pond. Thiscan be a relative measurement takenfrom a convenient permanent station.

❧ Make a Secchi disk and measurewater clarity on a monthly basis forat least one full year.

❧ Assign two pond group memberseach quarter to complete a pondinspection just before yourscheduled pond work day. Use thepond inspection form to plan workday activities.

❧ Replace water-hungry landscapingand sod with Florida native plants.Native plants will require lesswater, fertilizer, and pesticides.

❧ Select porous materials such asgravel for walkways and drivewaysto increase infiltration and decreasesurface runoff.

❧ Keep fertilizer off paved areas,including driveways and sidewalks,to help prevent rainwater fromwashing the nutrients into the streetand storm drains.

❧ Watch for construction in yourpond’s drainage basin, and makesure inlets are protected with filterfabric or hay bales. Report muddywater and other discharges to thebuilding department orstormwater department.

❧ Keep pavement and gutters free ofdebris and dirt.

74


Stormwater ReuseManagement

A good way to solve both a water qual-ity and water quantity problem is to re-use stormwater. Wet detention ponds canbe designed so that water which is nor-mally part of the fluctuating pool andsome of the permanent pool can be re-used thereby reducing stormwater runoffand pollution. The runoff water stored inthe pond can be recycled for irrigation,car washing, cooling water makeup, orother beneficial uses. The reuse of pondwater also has an economical benefit whencompared to the cost of potable water.

The reuse of stormwater is also a goodconservation practice. As urbanization in-creases the hydrologic balance of the re-gion also changes. The increase in water-shed discharges decrease the amount ofwater that had previously infiltrated intothe ground or evaporated from the wa-tershed. The stormwater that is re-appliedto the land provides greater potential forgroundwater replenishment and evapo-transpiration. In addition there is a de-creased use of pumped well water. Reusingstormwater also recycles the excess nutri-ents that are concentrated in ponds, thusrequiring fewer fertilizer applications on theuplands and less maintenance in the pond

Best Management Practices(BMPs)

Structural BMPs include the use ofporous surfaces, implementation of oilskimmers, construction of grass swales,etc. A comprehensive list of these BMPsand their respective maintenance sched-ules can be found in Chapter 5.

Practical MaintenanceGuidelines

Practical Maintenance Guidelines canbe accomplished by home owners, but havenot been mentioned yet for our publication.

Remember that the purpose of thestormwater pond is to remove pollutantsbefore they are transported to naturallakes, rivers and streams. They will neverbe pristine swimming or fishing lakes (i.e.,clear of vegetation or phytoplankton) be-cause their purpose is to trap and trans-form pollutants before water is trans-ported downstream. Some algae and plantsthat home owners find objectionable helpprovide this pollution removal function.

Stormwater ponds will have to becleaned out periodically (about every 25years) to keep them functioning properly.But things can be done in the pond andthe watershed to improve water qualityand extend the periods between extensivemaintenance efforts. An efficient functioningstormwater system takes as much time andeffort as maintaining the rest of the landscap-ing. In fact highly maintained upland land-scaping is a big part of the problem in keepingstormwater systems attractive.

▲ Irrigate only as much and as often as necessary.


75


Lush green yards contribute toovergrown or green ponds.

Let weeds dry on the pond banksto reduce weight and volume beforehauling them away.

Many homeowners do not connecttheir landscape design and maintenancepractices to the problems in theirstormwater ponds. Highly maintainedlawns and direct discharge of stormwaterinto ponds cause much of the weedygrowth in stormwater ponds. One of themost important steps in having a moreattractive stormwater pond is to form apartnership with all the people in thecommunity and then learn as much aspossible about your particular pond.

1. Remove debris especially at the inflowand outflow of ponds and give specialattention to drains and drop boxes.This will reduce the amount ofpollutants that the pond will haveto remove.

2. Inspect the entire stormwater systemon an annual or semiannual basisand make brief inspection tripsafter each storm. Cleaning updebris and checking for sinkholesor solution holes especially in swalesand sumps is an important part ofthe inspection. If severe erosionproblems occur then professionalhelp may be needed to plugproblem holes. Leaves, limbs andother debris should be removedfrom the conveyance system andgrass ground cover kept in goodcondition. Collect and dispose ofgrass cuttings off site or use amulching mower.

3. Keep records of all maintenanceneeds plus the work done on the pond.

4. Incorporate both a deep (<8 feet)permanent pool and vegetatedshallow (< 3 ft.) areas. Make surethere is an open water permanentpool that never goes dry. This helpsin sedimentation of pollutants andmosquito control. The permanentpool water should contain adequateamounts of dissolved oxygen. If thisis a particular problem then perhapsa fountain or other aeration devicecan be added. Also, at least one thirdof the pond should be maintainedas a shallow littoral shelf withdesirable plant species to removedissolved pollutants.

5. Removal of algae and nuisance plantspecies can be accomplished byrakes or hand pulling. If plant removalis part of the plan developed foryour lake obtain advice from yourwater management district and planwork days to get as many peopleinvolved and educated as possible.

76


Pre-Treatment Alternatives.If your pond is especially unattractive

or weed choked, you may want to enlistthe advice of a professional. Some alter-natives that can reduce pollution beforeit reaches the pond can be incorporatedusing the entire drainage basin.

1. Sump Basins -Pre-treatment basins are probablyone of the most importantmaintenance strategies.Large particles will settle out andthe basin will be much easier to keepclean and functional than the entirepond. Make it easily accessible bybackhoe or other type of equipment.Clean out twice a year and removedebris after every storm.

Swales -Swales are shallow conveyancesystems and an important componentfor pretreatment. Swales areincreasingly more effective thelonger the contact time with thevegetation. Check dams or crossblocks and gentle side slopes increasepollution removal. Educate residents

that swales are essential componentsof stormwater systems and shouldnever be used as disposal sites forleaf litter, grass clippings and othertypes of refuse. In fact this practicecould lead to flooding of downstream neighbors and plugging ofthe stormwater inlet or outlet structures.

2. Grass Filter Strips -Filter strips are linear areas ofvegetation (usually 25 to 30 feetwide) that trap suspended solidsand promote sheet flow. Flow mustenter the filter strip as low-energysheet flow. Install flow-spreadingdevices such as shallow weirs,stilling basins, or perforated pipesacross the width of the filter strip.Flow velocity should be no greaterthan 0.9 feet per second and thedepth of flow no more than 0.5 inches.

▼ Sump Basin

▼ Grass Filter Strips


77

3. Infiltration drainage of roof tops-Rooftop runoff disposal can reducerunoff to the stormwater pond andprovide an opportunity for water toinfiltrate into the surficial aquifer.The systems consist of perforatedpipe and gravel buried under theground (Figure A ). The routinemaintenance requirements are notgreat, however, getting propertyowners actually to do it may bedifficult. Since trenches are smallerand more inconspicuous than mostother BMPs and therefore might beoverlooked in a routine maintenanceschedule. The underground trenchesshould be checked periodicallyand cleaned out when sedimentdepletes more than 10% of availablecapacity. This can be done manuallyor by a vacuum pump. Infiltrationtrenches are also a good strategyunder gutter less roof lines (Figure B).

� Figure A. Infiltration Drainage of Rooftop. Source: Virginia Soil and WaterConservation Commission.

Figure B. Typical Infiltration Trench un-der gutterless roof. Source: Virginia Soil andWater Conservation Commission.�

78


4. Oil and Grease Catch Basins -Frequently open land is not availablefor vegetated pre-treatment solutions.Oil and grit separators are underground structures that remove floatableand suspended solids from urbanrunoff (Figure C). Oil and greasecatch basins are generally incorporatedinto the traditional storm sewerconveyance system. Since these inletsare relatively small, they can beplaced throughout a drainagesystem to capture coarse sediments,floating wastes, and accidentalspills. They must be cleaned out ona regular basis to be effective forpollution removal.

� Figure 3. Onsite and offsite applications of irrigated grass filter strips.


Begin treating stormwater at everyopportunity within the watershed by us-ing grass swales, shallow depressions,and filter strips.


79

This workbook has the basic elementsof a pond management plan, includingwork sheets and forms to help you com-plete events such as pond walks, pondinspections, and planning work days.

How Can A Pond Management PlanHelp Me And My Pond?

Your stormwater pond is a water treat-ment facility, and it performs a very im-portant job for your drainage basin: itcleans water. A management plan willmake sure that your pond is working atpeak performance to keep your water asclean as possible. With a plan for futuremaintenance of your pond, you and yourpond group will avoid spending time andmoney on “quick fixes” that may degradewater quality and add pollutants.

What should my pond look like? Whatcould my pond look like?

There are certain elements of yourpond you cannot change: the shape, thedepth, the surroundings, the underlying

Chapter 4.

A Pond ManagementPlan Workbook

soils, the water sources (both groundwa-ter and neighborhood stormwater run-off ), and the purpose for which the pondwas built. What are the elements of yourpond that can be changed? You can changethe neighborhood’s attitude towards thepond, the type of maintenance it receives,the quality of the neighborhoodstormwater runoff that enters the pond,the quality of the water as it leaves thepond, the types of plants that grow in andaround the pond, and the kinds of wild-life that are attracted to your pond. Yourpond can become a neighborhood asset,a place to play with the kids, to teach themabout Florida’s natural world, and watchthe birds. You can fool mother nature bymaking your stormwater pond look likea natural pond, with native floweringplants, trees, and birds. A stormwaterpond can have clean clear water, cypresstrees, oak trees, iris blooming in thespring, and summer-blooming pickerelweed edging the water.

80


What Is A Pond Management Plan?A pond management plan is a descrip-

tion of your pond; the problems associ-ated with the pond and its drainage ba-sin; a listing of people who live and workin the drainage basin; a record of meet-ings, pond evaluations, water quality data,as well as actions proposed and/or takenby the group. A management plan is writ-ten by consensus of the group, and is re-viewed by everyone in the pond basin. Aplan includes goals for the future andhelps you measure your progress in achiev-ing those goals. It helps you make betterdecisions by providing a record of previ-ous decisions and a written record of theneighborhood’s vision for your pond. Anyproposed actions that may impede or de-grade the neighborhood’s goals and visionfor the pond should be turned down.

Ponds Are Like LakesPonds and lakes in urban settings share

many of the same problems, and so sharemany management issues. The FloridaLAKEWATCH program uses a fifteen-step process in helping their volunteersbuild a lake management plan. Ponds aresmaller, with fewer recreational and de-velopment issues, so we have shortenedthe LAKEWATCH process to six steps.

▲ A busy crew is a happy crew.


81

Six Steps To Building YourPond Management Plan

1. Form a group made up of the peopleliving in your pond’s drainage basin. It isimportant to include people who live awayfrom the pond, but in the basin.

2. List the problems you are havingwith your pond. Problems could includenuisance vegetation, clogged stormdrains, eroding banks, litter, pet drop-pings, algae blooms, compost piles, etc.

3. Collect information about yourpond and the drainage basin, including:

• a copy of the drainage plans foryour subdivision

• an aerial photograph of the pondand drainage basin

• names and addresses of everyonein the drainage basin

• locations of drainage structures,pipes, under drains, & connections

• ownership & easements• deed restrictions and/or homeowner’s

rules that apply to the pond• current maintenance procedures

such as carp, herbicide, plant removal• water sample analysis, and Secchi

disk measurement• identify your pond’s drainage basin

(which streets drain to your pond)

4. List possible solutions to the problemsyou have listed. Solutions could includeestablishing a buffer of nativeplantings around the pond, nuisanceplant removal, storm drain marking,neighborhood educational meeting,renting a dumpster for a neighborhoodpond clean-up, fertilizer-free zones,or door hangers with pollutionprevention instructions.

5. Write a management plan with allof the information you’ve collected.Your management plan may havethese sections:

Section 1. Pond BackgroundInformation and Description

Section 2. Pond Group MembersSection 3. Aquatic Weed ControlSection 4. Algae ControlSection 5. Fish & WildlifeSection 6. Water Quality MonitoringSection 7. Drainage Structure MaintenanceSection 8. Pond Group Work DaysSection 9. Stormwater Pollution

Prevention Program• Environmental Landscape

Maintenance• Storm Drain Marking• Door Hangers• Pond Walk• Educational Meeting

With Experts• Pond Work Days• Fertilizer-Free Zones• Pond Plantings

Section 10. Pond Group Goals & Vision For The Future

6. Implement your plan. Assign ac-tivities to members of your group. Setdates for achieving your goals. Contactlocal governmental agencies for educa-tional materials, technical guidance, andassistance in managing your pond; ask forspeakers to address your pond groupmembers at a meeting or a pond walk.

Use the following pages to help youwrite Your Pond Management Plan.

Working togetherto create an attractivestormwater pond.Sharing the workas well as the benefits.

A Pond Management Plan

Workbook

A guide totaking care

of yourstormwater

pond.

84


STEP 1.Form Your Pond Group

Use the table below to list the people in your neighborhood who are willing to help you planand implement your pond management goals. You may need to ask people more than once to joinyour efforts. And, some people may not want to join until they see you’ve made some progress.

NAME ADDRESS PHONE

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.


85

STEP 2.List The Problems

Your first few meetings will probably be spent discussing the problems you are having withyour pond. It will be important to listen to people who have made an attempt to manage thepond before. Learn the history of your neighborhood’s pond management efforts.

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

❏ nuisance vegetation

❏ clogged storm drains

❏ eroding banks

❏ litter

❏ pet droppings

❏ algae blooms

❏ improperly disposed yard waste

❏ “car droppings” (leaks& drips) on driveways

❏ over-fertilizing

86


STEP 3.Collect Information

You’ll need to make a trip downtown for some of this information. Pick up the phone andcall first, to make sure the contact person and the information will be there when you arrive.Also, be sure to ask if there is a fee for print outs, maps, etc.

INFO NEEDED LOCATION/SOURCE ASSIGNED TO

❏ subdivision drainageplans

local county officecontact & phone:

❏ aerial photograph local county officecontact & phone:

❏ names andaddresses of everyonein the drainage basin

neighbors, homeownersassociation, tax roll

❏ locations of drainagestructures, pipes underdrains, & connections

drainage plans, or local roads &streets office:contact name & phone:

❏ pond ownership &easements, recordedplats

local county real estate officecontact name & phone:

❏ deed restrictionsand/or homeowner’srules

Homeowners AssociationPresidentname & phone:

current maintenance:❏ carp yes / no❏ herbicide yes / no❏ plant removal yes / no

check with neighbors,homeowners association


87

STEP 4.List Possible Solutions

Now that you’ve discussed problems and gathered information about your pond, you canstart to think of some possible solutions. At least, you can think of some goals for each problemarea, and then think about how to get there. You may need do more research to know whatsolutions are available.

A pond group like yours utilizes neighborhood responsibility, neighborhood activism, andstormwater pollution prevention as the basis for pond management. Please don’t think that youcan improve water quality in your environment by solely relying on chemical treatments andherbicide sprays. These methods may indeed be a small part of your management plan, but cannotbe the basis for growing a healthy pond. For more ideas on addressing your pond problems, callsomeone from the lists that appear in the Chapter 6. Resources & References of this manual.

PROBLEM SOLUTION RESOURCE

❏ nuisancevegetation

work day targeting single nuisancespecies; hand pull or rake out

❏ clogged stormdrains

call service unit

❏ eroding banks plants; re-grade; terracing

❏ litter educate

❏ pet droppings educate

❏ algae blooms rake algae; fertilizer-free zones; plantpond

❏ improperlydisposed yard waste

educate; formal compost areas

❏ “car droppings”(leaks & drips) ondriveways

carpet remnants to catch drips

❏ over-fertilizing educate; twice yearly fertilizing only

88


STEP 5.Write Your Management Plan

Your final management plan will contain 10 sections, including tables, checklists, and groupdiscussion topics to help you write your pond plan. Use the information tables to make newcontacts and learn more about your pond. Review the checklists, and select components appropri-ate to your group. Use the discussion guidelines to help your group agree on goals and direction.

Section 1.Pond Background Information and Description

In addition to the information you already collected about your pond,use this section to describe

1. How your pond impacts your neighborhood:

2. How people use the pond or view the pond:

3. How the pond, if well-managed, could improve the character and value of your neighborhood:

4. Consider how a better-managed pond could influence the market value of your home:

Write your pond group’s other observations here:


89

Section 2.Pond Group Organization

Your pond group could be the start of a better-defined, friendlier, safer, more caring, and amore fun neighborhood. Remember that not everyone is going to join in from the beginning;some people will wait until they see that you’ve made some progress before they want to partici-pate. If parents don’t want to participate, make sure to invite their kids - give neighborhoodkids pride and purpose by allowing them to be members and take on responsibilities.

Ask your group to consider these organizational items:

(sample table)

Meetings i.e., monthly / bi-monthly / quarterly

Committees i.e., one for each section of the plan

Work Days i.e., bi-monthly year 1, quarterly year 2

Pond Dues i.e., $10 or $20 (paid quarterly)

GovernmentalLiaison

could be shared by two group members

Meetings

Committees

Work Days

Pond Dues

GovernmentalLiaison

90


Section 3.Aquatic Weed Control

Aquatic weed control will be the most challenging goal your group will face.

For successful aquatic weed maintenance:1. Define, identify, and remove only nuisance plants; for aquatic plantreference materials, contact:IFAS Publications, University of FloridaPO Box 11011Gainesville, Florida 32611-00111-800-226-1764 or (352) 392-1764See Chapter 7. Resources & References for full listing of publications.

2. Teach all group members how to identify pond plants.See Chapter 6. Resources & References for full listing of publications.

3. Choose a short list of nuisance plants targeted for removal,probably 3 or 4 plants. Refer to Chapter 3. of this manual.

4. Strive to achieve a balanced and functioning pond ecosystem.

5. Have a long-term goal of chemical-free maintenance.Contact your local University of Florida CooperativeExtension Service, or the Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection, for a list of commerciallicensed applicators.

6. Include a combination of several weed control strategies, such as:• group work days to pull out nuisance plants• limited and selective herbicide applications• triploid grass carp• well-established stands of native plants that can out-compete nuisance plants

7. Include weed removal tools that make group work days easier - for ideas, see:Lake Smarts, Steve McComas, November 1993, Chapter One, AquaticWeed Control. Available through: Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert Street,Alexandra, Virginia 22305. (703) 548-5473.

8. Has a plan for plant debris, i.e., community compost site.

Ask your pond group about wildlife:

❑ Done❑ Need to do









91






Section 4.Algae Control

See Chapter 2. for information about algae. Algae is a natural part of any pondecosystem. But, an extensive algae bloom can be unsightly, alarming, and may resultin a fish kill. There are many species of algae, some planktonic and some filamen-tous. Planktonic algae population can be measured to a certain extent by using aSecchi disk on a monthly basis. Filamentous algae can appear as floating masses andcan be raked out of the pond easily.

The most effective algae control is pollution prevention. Reduced nutrient loadsinto your pond will go a long way towards reducing extensive algae blooms. Askeveryone in your pond’s basin to observe these guidelines:

1. Establish fertilizer-free zones around the pond, along the street, andaround storm drains; this will reduce direct runoff of fertilizer granulesin to the pond.

2. Fertilize no more than twice each year, using Cooperative ExtensionService guidelines for slow-release fertilizers; call your local ExtensionAgent for recommendations.

3. “Replace” algae with other, attractive aquatic plants which also utilizeexcess nutrients

4. Plant shade trees along the pond; shade will reduce algae productivity.

5. Plant Florida native aquatic plants in and around your pond; they willbeautify your pond, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and willhelp reduce algae growth. They will also improve overall water qualityin your pond.

92


Section 5.Fish & Wildlife

Urban ponds can provide much-needed habitat for Florida’s wildlife; your pond may be animportant link in a local wildlife “corridor”, as animals move through the area. Fish can beimportant to weed control, mosquito control, and recreation; your pond management needs mayvary depending on which type of fish you want in your pond. Contact these agencies to learn moreabout animals you’d like to see more of, or the ones you don’t want visiting your pond:

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,Lakeland, (863) 648-3202Your local University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, phone:University of Florida Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences(352) 392-9617, extension 249

Ask your pond group about wildlife:

ANIMAL RESOURCE HABITAT NEEDS ASSIGNED


93

TEST FREQUENCY EQUIPMENT NEEDS RESOURCE

clarity monthly Secchi disk or turbidity tube

pH yearly

nitrogen monthly

phosphorous monthly

Section 6.Water Quality Monitoring

Similar to the saying “you are what you eat”, your pond is a function of the water qualityyour neighborhood “feeds” it. Although you can look at the water and describe how you cleanyou think it is, regular testing will give your pond group some very real records on waterquality trends for your pond. Your pond’s water quality changes with the season: summerbrings an influx of pollutants with stormwater runoff, high temperatures encourage algae blooms.A record water quality will help you recognize the seasonal changes in your pond and can giveyou a place to establish goals for your pond management program.

To learn more about water quality testing, contact:The Southwest Florida Water Management District 1-800-423-1476The Florida Department of Environmental Protection 1-813-744-6100

Consider water quality monitoring for your pond:

94


Section 7.Drainage Structure Maintenance

This work can be dangerous, and when possible, should be left to your local government. Itis important to have a contact within the local government to refer problems to. If your pond isnot under government maintenance, ask them to at least advise you on any drainage issues youmight encounter.

Remember, it is illegal to alter the function of a drainage pipe or structure on a stormwaterpond.

Our local government contacts for stormwater and drainage are:

DEPARTMENT CONTACT & PHONE ASSIGNED TO

Water ManagementDistrict(permits & exemptions)

mosquito control local government officecontact & phone:

Stormwater Investigationroad flooding & sink holes

local stormwater utilitycontact & phone:

maintenance of structures& pipesemergency floodingreports

local roads & streets department,or local stormwater utilitycontact & phone:


95

Section 8.Pond Group Work Days

All the planning in the world won’t do a bit of good if you can’t get together and do some-thing to make it happen. On the other hand, if you try to go too quickly, you might wear outyour workers really fast and the project will die a swift death. It has probably taken several yearsfor your pond to become a weedy mess, it will take several years to recover. In the meantime,plan some work days and HAVE SOME FUN DOING IT!

(sample table)

A work day activity flier appears on the next page. Make copies of the flier to announceyour work day plans to your pond group.

WORK DAY PLANNING

DATE / TIME 9 am to noon, Saturday

TASK remove trash and cattail patch at NEcorner

EQUIPMENT NEEDED trash bags, shovels, wheel barrows

DRINKS COMMITTEE Sandy & family

BAR-B-Q LUNCH COMMITTEE Joe, Sally, Fred, Ann

DONATION FOR LUNCH $3.00 each

SAFETY PATROL Rita

WORK DAY PLANNING

DATE / TIME

TASK

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

DRINKS COMMITTEE

BAR-B-Q LUNCH COMMITTEE

96


Pond Group Activity DayPlease join your neighborhood

Pond Group for this event!

WHAT:

WHEN:

WHERE:

For more info, contact:


97

Section 9.Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program

Pollution prevention is one of the most important elements of your pond managementplan. You must have pollution prevention in order for your other management tools to beeffective. Without pollution prevention you cannot protect or improve water quality, and thatis why stormwater ponds were built in the first place!!

ACTIVITY RESOURCE ASSIGNEDTO

❏ Storm Drain Marking Center for Marine Conservation1-813-895-2188

❏ Door Hangers Center for Marine Conservation1-813-895-2188

❏ Pond Walk contact a biologist with yourlocal environmental protectionagency

❏ Educational Meeting WithExperts

contact your local stormwaterutility, or environmentalprotection agency

❏ Pond Work Days Your Pond Work Group

❏ Fertilizer-Free Zones Pond Neighborhood

❏ Pond Plants Association of Florida NativeNurseries, (352) 931-6908

❏ Environmental LandscapeMaintenance

Your local University of FloridaCooperative Extension Service:

Florida Yards & NeighborhoodsUrban HorticulturistBackyard Wildlife HabitatMaster GardenerMaster Composter

98


Section 10.Pond Group Goals & Vision For The Future

Take time to create a vision of what your pond can be in the future.

1. How people and animals will enjoy it.

2. What it could look like, what the plants will look like,and what the water will look like.

3. How your cleaner and healthier pond could affect waterquality outside your neighborhood.

4. What the kids in your neighborhood will learn from takingresponsibility for cleaner water.

A good way to involve the group in the visioning process is to ask everyone to pretend theyare returning to the neighborhood after a long trip. Ask the group to talk about what theywould like to see when they look at the pond after having been away for a long time. Yourgroup’s vision can become your group’s goals for your pond.

Our vision for our pond:


99

Chapter 5.

Maintenance Schedule For Structural ControlsTable 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Dry Retention.

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC

FOYCNEUQERFNOITCEPSNI

FOYCNEUQERFECNANETNIAM

DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

retawmrotSsdnoPtnemtaerT)noitneteRyrD(

yllaunnA-imeS dnassentewdegnolorpfosngisrofytilicaftcepsnI•secivednoisrevidgnidulcniserutcurtsotegamad

.sepipdnaserutcurtswolftuodnawolfnidna

dnasknabnosaeradedoreyllacitircynaetoN•.mottobdnop

.noitazilibatsrofeludehcS•

sngisdnaegrahcsidfotniopehttagnittucrednU•roerutcurtslortnocehtfoytinicivehtnignipipfodluohssepiproserutcurtsnoisrevid,semulf,stelni

.riaperetaidemmirofdeludehcsdnadetoneb

eramottobdnopehtnossarggniydrodaeD•decuderdnagniggolclaitnetopfosnoitacidniytilicafehtdevresbonehW.yticapacnoitartlifnisetalocreptitahterusniotdekcehcebdluohs.smrotsgniwollofsyad3-2nihtiwyletelpmoc

dnopgnitareaesiwrehtorognicsid,gnipparcSqerebyammottob noitartlifniehterotserotderiu

.liosehtfoyticapac

• nobracordyhmuelortepevissecxefosngisynaetoNeldnahdnanoitanimatnoc .)2(yletairporppa

dedeensA .lavomersirbeddnarettildnagniwoM•

.sknabdedorefonoitazilibatS•

• dnawolfnitasaeradedorerotucrednuriapeR.secnayevnocroserutcurtsnoisrevid

.)1(tnemeganamesuedicitsepdnatneirtuN•

.gnihctahtevomerdnamottobdnophctahteD•nasA.noitacilppadnaldnagnitsopmocaivesopsiDgniwollofsgnippilcssargevomer,evitanretla

.gniwom

yllaunnA .mottobdnopetareaesiwrehtorocsiD•

raeY5eludehcSgnivloveR

htiwtnemidesevomerdnamottobdnopeparcS•-ssorclanigiroerotseR.lasopsidtnemidesreporp

.)3,2(etarnoitartlifnidnanoitces

.revocdnuorgerotserotdosrodeeS•

Footnotes: (1) See Chapter 2, pages 34-37. (2) See Chapter 2, pages 32 & 40. (3) See Chapter 2, Pages 30-37.

100


Table 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Dry Detention with Sand Filter System.

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

retawmrotSsdnoPtnemtaerT

noitneteDyrD(dnaShtiw

)metsySretliF

yllaunnA-imeS trohsdnaegamadfoecnediverofytilicaftcepsnI•nevigebdluohsnoitnettaesolC.retlifehtfognitiucricdnadnuomrohcnert,deb,xobretlifehtotretliffonoisore(gnipipfosngiS.skrowtnanetruppanoitcnujottxenselohrosepipniardrednuotni)dnaserusopxeroserutcurtslortnocegrahcsidro/dnaxobehtgnidnuorruselitxetoegroetagerggaesraocforofdeludehcsdnadetonebdluohsepipniardrednu

.riaperetaidemmi

dnop,sknabnosaeradedoreyllacitircynaetoN•.noitazilibatsrofeludehcS.retlifro,mottob

dnaegrahcsidfotniopehttagnittucrednuynA•dnasemulf,sepipwolfnifoytinicivehtninoisoredeludehcsdnadetonebdluohsserutcurtsnoisrevid

.riaperetaidemmirof

ro/dnamottobdnopehtnossarggniydrodaeD•yrdfoeromrosyad3gniwollofretawgnidnatsnehW."gnidnilb"retliffoevitacidnierarehtaewrojamrofdeludehcsebdluohsytilicafehtdevresboebotdeenyamretawgnidnatS.ecnanetniamotdeniardesiwrehtoebroytilicafehtmorfdepmups'renwororenwoehT.retlifehtfonoitarotsertceffeehtroPEDFtcatnocdluohsevitatneserperytirohtuagnittimrepehtesivdaotDMWetairporppa

.nwodwardehtmrofrepotdeenehtfo

noitanimatnocmuelortepevissecxefosngisetoN•.)2(yletairporppaeldnahdna

dneehttastrop"tuonaelc"kcehcdeppiuqeosfI•roxobnoitcnujehtdnaniardrednuhcaefo

.e.i(.egakcolbfoecnediverofteltuoniardrednuybdeinapmoccalaretalniardrednuniretawgnidnats

).wolftuotonroelttil

aivsepipniardrednufogninaelceludehcS•satejretawerusserphgihrosnaemlacinahcem

morfspacotegamadroftcepsnioslA.etairporppatneverpotslaesniskaerbynarostnediccagniwom

.retlifehtfognitiucrictrohs

yllaunna-imeSdedeensaro

noitartliffoecnanetniamevitcerrocroniM•emitynadeludehcsebdluohsstnenopmocaretfasruoh84nihtiwruccotonseodnwodwardthgilelpmissevlovniyllausuytivitcasihT.mrots

ecafrusehtrorevocdosfonoitarearognikargnicsidsmetsysepyt"xobrotluav"tinudenifnoC.retlifehtfoesehtfi)dezidiulf.e.i(dehsulfkcabebyam

.elbaliavaeraseitilibapac

Dry Detention with Sand Filter System continued on page 101.


101

(continued) Table 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Dry Detention with Sand Filter System.

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC


FOYCNEUQERFECNANETNIAM DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

saroshtnom81niatniamotdedeen

sruoh27yticapacnwodward

sistnenopmocnoitartliffoecnanetniamrojaM•gnidnats(snoitidnocecnasiuntahtemitynaderiuqer

gniwollofsyad3nahteromrofstsisrep)retaw .smrotsfotnemecalperdnalavomersevlovniytivitcasihTynA.desunehwsrevocelitxetoegdnalevargtsallabebtsumdnasfosehcni3-2potehtrorevocdosdnasneporodetategevgnivlovnisesacnidevomerdetanimatnoctnemides,derolocsidllA.sdebretlifdnasnaelchtiwdecalperdnadevomerebtsumdnas

.edarglanigiroehtottnelaviuqeepytafo

ebtsumdnasdetanimatnocdnatnemideS•)3,2(.ylreporpfodesopsid

ylerevesrodaedynaerotserotdosrodeeS•.revocdnuorgdegamad

kcehcdnaotnwodetavacxe,snoitacoltcelestA•stols,secifiroehtfogniggolcrofepipniardrednu

.desufiepipehtgnidnuorruskcoscirbafro/dnaotdedeensaepipecalperesiwrehtoronaelC

.yticapaceganiarderotser

saroyllaunnAniatniamotdedeen

sruoh27timilnwodward

rotinUdenifnoC()retliFepyTxoB

stnenopmocnoitartliffoecnanetniamrojaM•yllaususisretlifepyt"tinudenifnoc"htiwdetaicossaehT.secivednoitartlifrehtohtiwnahttneuqerferomehtybrevewohdetatilicaferaderiuqerseitivitcadnalavomeretelpmoC.erutantcapmocs'tinutsallabehtdna,dnasretlif,elitxetoegfotnemecalper

.deriuqeryllamronsidesunehwlevargroenots

.mottobdnopehtnorevocdnuorgdegamaderotseR•

ylesolcebdluohsepipniardrednudepparwcirbaF•rodetarofreP.deggolcfidecalperdnadetcepsni

roegamadrofdekcehcebdluohsepipdettolssniardrednunaelcroecalpeR.sgninepodetcirtser sa

.yticapaceganiarderotserotdedeen

dedeensA .gnippilcssargfolavomerdnagniwoM•

.sknabmorflavomersirbeddnarettiL•

.sknabdedorefonoitazilibatS•

foytinicivehtnisaeradedorednatucrednuriapeR•telnisahcusserutcurtsrehtorotniopegrahcsideht

.sretapissidygrenednasepipwolfni,semulf


yhtnom-iB dnaerutcurtslortnocmorflavomersirbeddnarettiL•.swolfnitapudliubtnemidesevomerdnasneercs


102


LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA


noitneteDteW()ytilicaF

launnA dluohsnoitnettaesolC.egamadrofytilicaftcepsnI•fotniopehtdnaerutcurtslortnocehtotnevigeb

.)DOP(egrahcsid

gnipipfoecnedivednaDOPehttagnittucrednU•ninoisorero/dna)snoitcnujepipotniliosfonoisore(

t erutcurtslortnocteltuoeht,sepipwolfnifoytiniciveh ,rofdeludehcsdnadetonebdluohssemulfro

.riaperetaidemmi

• nobracordyhmuelorteplatotevissecxefosngisetoN.)2(yletairporppaeldnahdnanoitanimatnoc

evomerdnasnoitalumuccatnemidesrotinoM•.)3(dellifsiemulovegarotsfo3nehw

cihportuerepyhfosngistnerapparofkcehC•evisavnieriuqerhcihwsaeraetondnasnoitidnoc

.lortnoctnalpcitauqa

,sriewsallewsasecifirosahcussecivedredeelB•sneercsdna,setarg,stelnipordxob,sepipdnats

.ecivresrofydaerdnasirbedfoeerf,naelcdluohs

lanoitareporofdekcehcebdluohssetaglortnocllA•.evlavgnisolcdnagninepoylfeirbybyticapac

rofderotinomebdluohsspmustnemides/syaberoF•"leveLtuonaelC"ehT.noitalumuccatnemidespmusehtdnaytilicafhcaerofdetaluclacebdluohsnodesablavomertnemidesrofdeludehcsebdluohstnemidesehtdnaytilicafehtrofdehsilbatsetimileht

.etarnoitalumucca

yllaunna-imeS detcurtsnocedulcnitahtseitilicafnoitneteD• sdnaltewderotinomebdluohsstnenopmoc)flehslarottil(

tnalpcitauqaevisavnidiovaotylluferacroseicepsevisavnifolavomereludehcS.smelborptneverpotyrassecennehwlortnoclacimehcderisedrolaicifenebhtiwnoititepmocevissecxe

.)1(stnalp

ehterehwenozlarottilehtnihtiwsaeraesohtetoN•stnalplaicifenebfognidworcrevorodaerps

.gnitsevrahdnatnemeganamsetatissecen

dedeensA saeradedorednatucrednuezilibatsdnariapeR•.sknabdnaserutcurtsraen

.sknabdedoreezilibatS•

lavomersirbeddnarettil/wsepolsedisgniwoM•.sknabmorf


yhtnoM ,sriew,secifiromorfsirbedevomerdnanaelC•.sneercsdnastelnipord,sepipdnats

Table 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Wet Detention Facility.

Wet Detention Facility continued on page 103.


103

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA


noitneteDteW(dnaShtiw)noitartliF

yllaunnA htiwecnadroccanitnenopmocnoitartliftcepsnI•dnaShtiwnoitneteDyrD"repsametsysfoepyt

.senilediug"retliF

nidebircsedsatnenopmocdnopnoitnetedtcepsnI•.senilediug"noitneteDteW"

noitartlifehtotnevigebdluohsnoitnettaesolC•gnitiucrictrohsfoecnediveylralucitraptnenopmoc

niardrednufoytinicivehtnignipiphtiwdetaicossa.erutcurtslortnocehtdnasnoitcnuj

dedeensA saxobro,hcnert,debretlifknabniatniaM•retliFdnaShtiwnoitneteDyrDnidebircsed

.timilnwodwardruoh27niatniamotsenilediug

pord,sresir,sriew(stnenopmoclortnocdoolF•dnanaelcebdluohs)sepipegrahcsiddnasexob

.ecivresrofydaer

.lavomergnippilcssargdnasknabgniwoM•

.sknabmorflavomersirbeddnarettiL•

foriaperdnasknabdedorefonoitazilibatS•teltuo,stelnifoytinicivehtnignipiprognittucrednu

.egrahcsidfotniopdnaerutcurtslortnoc


ylhtnoM dnaerutcurtslortnocmorflavomersirbeddnarettiL•.sneercs

yllaunnA .)1(lortnoctnalpcitauqaevisavnI•

sraey51-01eludehcsgnivlover

.dedeensaro

lasopsidtnemidesreporphtiwlavomertnemideS•tonseodstnemidesfohtpedehttahterusneotehtfoaeralanoitces-ssorcngisedehtfotahtdeecxe

.)3,2(dnop

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

royllaunnAdedeensa

.gnitsevrahdnatnemeganamtnalpcitauqA•tneverpotstnenopmocdnaltewdetcurtsnoceganaM

niatniamotdnastnalplaicifenebfognidworcrevothgil,scitehtsearofaeraretawnepoetauqeda

ottnatropmioslasitI.noitanegyxodnanoitartenepeavral)otiuqsom(tcesnirofrevocevissecxediova.noitaderpstibihnidnanoitcudorpsecnahnehcihwretawneponinoitcudertnecrep05anahteromtoNgnitsevrahlacinahcemotroirpdednemmocersiaeralanigirostiotrevocsetyhporcamfonoitcuderdna

.)secnatsnitsomnitnecrep53-03.e.i(level

raluger(tnemeganamdnaltewdetcurtsnoC•evitcarofsetisegaruocneot)gnitsevrahevitceles

sinoitalimissatnatullopdecnahnednahtworg.dednemmocer

gnivloverraey5saroeludehcs

dedeen

tnemidesrosyaberofmorftnemidesfolavomeR•tnemideS.)3,2(ylreporpfoesopsiddnaspmus

toof1nahtrehgihebtondluohs"leveltuonaelc"ronpmusroyabehtfonoitaveletrevniehtwolebnahteromybdecuderebemulovegarotsehtdluohs=leveLtuonaelC.e.i(,ngisedlanigirofotnecrep06emulovegarotsgniniameraeraeganiarderca/ni2.

).sesactsomni

sarosraey51-01niatniamotdedeen

egarotsetauqedadnaemulovtnemtaert

evomerdnasnoitalumuccatnemidesrotinoM• nehwnehwrodellifsiemulovegarots cihportuerepyh

ebtsumtnemideS.tnerappaemocebsnoitidnoc.)3()2(ylreporpdesurofodesopsid

(continued) Table 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Wet Detention Facility.

Table 5: Stormwater Treatment Ponds — Wet Detention with Sand Filtration.



104


Table 5: Exfiltration Trench.

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

hcnerTnoitartlifxE yllaunnA-imeS ehtninoitalumuccatnemidesrofytilicafrotinoM•.e.i(yrevoceremulovegarotsdna)desunehw(epip

dnasllewnoitavresbO.)yticapac,nwodwardsyad3gniwollofdekcehcebdluohsstropnoitcepsniderotsetalocrepoteruliaF.rehtaewyrdmuminim27nihtiwlevelemulovtnemtaertngisedehtotffonursllawhcnertehtniliosfognidnilbsetacidnisruoh.sdilosenifhtiwrenilelitxetoegfogniggolcro/dnaehtnitnemidesoteudemulovegarotsnisnoitcudeRroniM.ycneiciffesecuderoslaepipnoitubirtsidsetarnoitartlifxeerotsernacserusaemecnanetniamecnanetniamrojaM.mrettrohsslevelelbatpeccaotevomerotderiuqersi)noitatilibaherlatot(erotserotrosesactsomnitnemidesdetalumuccaregnoloneraserusaemronimnehwetaryrevocerngisedoteuddemrofrepebtonnacroevitceffe

.noitarugifnoc

dnanoitatnemidessahcussecnanetruppatcepsnI•sanisabhctacfosrebmahcnoitarapestirgdnalionehwsriewwolfrevodnasecivednoisrevidsallewdluohssriewwolfrevodnaseitilicafnoisreviD.desu

ecivresrofydaerdnasirbedfoeerfeb noitatnemideS.rofdeludehcsebdluohssrotarapestirg/liodnatuonaelcsehcaorppahtpedtnemidesnehwgninaelcsseltondehsilbatseebdluohssleveltuonaelC.levelehtfonoitavelelortnocehtwolebtoof1naht

.rebmahc

dedeensAesaergdnalio/tnemidesmorftnemidesevomeR•ylreporpfoesopsiddnastelninisabhctacforebmahc

.)3,2(

"xobtrams"rollaftuoehtmorfsirbedevomeR•.seitilicafenil-ffofoesacehtni)ecivednoisrevid(

sarosraey5otdedeen

.ecivresgnolorp

ronimelbaliavasiytilibapacssapybnehW• ecnanetniamdesuebyamsdoirepyrddednetxesahcusserusaem

.etarnoitartlifxefoyrevocermrettrohsedivorpot

seitilicafmorftnemidesdetalumuccaevomeR•tnanetrupparehtoroselohnamhtiwdetcurtsnoc

dluohstnemideS.tuonaelcetatilicafotserutcurtsyllamronssecorpsihT.)3,2(ylreporpfodesopsidebebyamtuonaelC.sepipegralhtiwseitilicafsevlovniybro/dnakcurtknatdnaesohnoitcusybdemrofrep

.gnihsawtejerusserphgih

sraey51-01.dedeensaro

egarotsniatniamothcnertfonoitatilibaherlatoT•emulovtnemtaertngisedehtfo3/2nihtiwyticapacdnaetavacxE.timiletarnoitartlifxeruoh27dnagnidnuorrus,epipdettolsrodetarofrepevomerelitxetoegdna)gniddeb(polevneetagerggaesraoceriuqerlliwnoitavonersesactsomnI.)parw(cirbafedargtnelaviuqefolairetamwenhtiwtnemecalperotdetavacxeebdluohssllawhcnerT.ytilauqdna,liosdetanimatnoctnemideS.liosnaelcesopxedesopsidebdluohshtolcretlifdnaetagerggaesraoc

.)3,2(ylreporpfo



105

Table 5:Grass Swales (Dry).

LARUTCURTSLORTNOC



DERIUQERSEITIVITCA

selawSssarG)yrD(

yllaunnA-imeS dnassentewdegnolorpfosngisrofselawstcepsnI•,secivednoisrevidgnidulcniserutcurtsotegamad

.skcolbelawsdna,strevlucyawevird,sepipwolfni

tnorfdnasknabnosaeradedoreyllacitircynaetoN•.mottobelawsdnaepolskcabro

.noitazilibatsrofeludehcS•

devapdnaegrahcsidfotniopehttagnittucrednU•dnadetonebdluohsstrevlucdnasepiprosemulf

.riaperetaidemmirofdeludehcs

elawsehtfonoitarutasdnassarggniydrodaeD•dnagniggolclaitnetopfosnoitacidnieramottobehtdevresbonehW.yticapacnoitartlifnidecudersetalocreptitahterusniotdekcehcebdluohsytilicafylpmocotsmrotsgniwollofsyad3nihtiwyletelpmocesiwrehtorognicsid,gniparcS.snoitalugeretatshtiwehterotserotderiuqerebyammottobehtgnitareaecnamrofreptsebroF.liosehtfoyticapacnoitartlifni.smrotsgniwollofyadenonihtiwetalocrepdluohsselaws

• nobracordyhmuelortepevissecxefosngisynaetoN.)2(yletairporppaeldnahdnanoitanimatnoc

dedeensA .lavomersirbeddnarettildnagniwoM•

.mottobdnasepolsedisdedorefonoitazilibatS•

,semulf,strevluctasaeradedorerotucrednuriapeR•.skcolbelawsro


.gnihctahtevomerdnamottobelawshctahteD•nasA.noitacilppadnaldnagnitsopmocaivesopsiD.gniwomgniwollofsgnippilcssargevomer,evitanretla

yllaunnA .mottobelawsetareaesiwrehtorocsiD•

raeY5eludehcSgnivloveR

htiwtnemidesevomerdnamottobelawseparcS•-ssorclanigiroerotseR.lasopsidtnemidesreporp

.)3,2(etarnoitartlifnidnanoitces

.revocdnuorgerotserotdosrodeeS•

lliwytidibrutrofsdradnatsytilauqretawfonoitaloiV•sallewsanoitcurtsnoclaitinigniwolloftlusernetfo,seitivitcanoitarotserdnaecnanetniamrojamgnirudelihwdetrevidyliraropmetebnacretawsselnunI.ecalpekatnoitanimregtneuqesbusdnagnideesehthtobezilibatsotelbasivdasitinoisrevidfoueilelbissopsaylkciuqsasepolsedisnamottobelawsgniruddebrutsidsaerallagnikatsdnagniddoserybfoesU.snoitareponoitarotserdnatuonaelcelaws

htiwnoitcnujnocnignittamelitxetoegrognittenecuderotnwohsneeboslaevahsnoitarepognideesytidibruttneuqesbusdnanoisoreroflaitnetopeht

.ecnanetniamelawsedisdaormorfsmelborp


106


Chapter 6.

Resources, Reference,Resource Literature and MapsResources:List of Contacts

Charlotte CountyCounty Courthouse..............................941.743.1200Cooperative Extension Service..............941.639.6255

www.gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/~charlotteNatural Resources Conserv Service....... 941.995.5678Our Town Charlotte.............................www.charlotte-florida.com

Citrus CountyCounty Courthouse..............................352.341.6400Cooperative Extension Service..............352.726.2141Natural Resources Conserv Services......352.521.4260Soil & Water Conserv District..............352.754.4035

Collier CountyCounty Courthouse..............................

County Manager..................................941.774.8383

941.774.8999www.gator.naples.net/govern/

Emergency Management...................... www.collierem.org/index.htmCooperative Extension Service..............941.353.4244

www.gator.naples.net/~kuh/cces.htmNatural Resources Conserv Service....... 941.455.4100Cape Coral........................................... www.capecoral.netNaples.................................................. www.naples.net/govern/city/index.htm

DeSoto CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 863.993.4800Cooperative Extension Service..............863.993.4846Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 863.993.4040

Glades CountyCounty Courthouse..............................863.946.0113Cooperative Extension Service..............863.946.0244Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 863.674.4160

Hardee CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 863.773.6952Cooperative Extension Service..............863.773.2164Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 863.773.9644

Hendry CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 863.675.5217Cooperative Extension Service..............863.674.4092Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 863.674.4160


107

Hernando CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 352.754.4000

www.co.hernando.fl.us/index.htmlCounty Engineer’s Office....................... 352.754.4060Public Works Department.................... . 352.754.4060Emergency Management...................... . 352.754.4083Cooperative Extension Service............... 352.754.4433Natural Resources Conserv Service........ 352.796.9600Soil & Water Conserv District............... 352.754.4009

Highlands CountyCounty Courthouse Clerk......................863.402.6565Cooperative Extension Service................863.402.6540Governmant Center................................ 863.402.6564Natural Resources Conserv Service.........863.402.6545

Hillsborough CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 813.272.5660

www.hillsboroughcounty.orgPublic Works Department......................813.272.5912Engineering Division of PW...................813.272.5912

http://engineer.co.hillsborough.fl.us/engineerStormwater Management Section...........813.272.5912Cooperative Extension Service................813.744.5519Natural Resources Conserv Service.........813.759.6450 Extention 3City of Tampa-Stormwater Mgmt.......... 813.274.8588

Lake CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 352.343.9850Cooperative Extension Service................352.343.4101Natural Resources Conserv Service.........352.343.2481 Extention 3

Lee CountyCounty Commissioners..........................County Justice Center............................239.335.2990

239.335.2259

www.lee.fl.usPublic Works Department......................239.479.8505Environmental Sciences Division........... 239.479.8182Public Resources Division...................... 239.335.2260Natural Resources Management............. 239.479.8109Cooperative Extension Service............... 239.338.3232Natural Resources Conserv Service.........239.995.5678 Extention 3

Levy CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 352.486.5100Cooperative Extension Service................352.486.5131Natural Resources Conserv Service.........352.486.2672

Manatee CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 941.748.4501

www.co.manatee.fl.usCooperative Extension Service................941.722.4524Natural Resources Conserv Service.........941.907.0011

Marion CountyCounty Courthouse............................... 352.620.3904Cooperative Extension Service................352.620.3440Natural Resources Conserv Service.........352.622.3971

108


Pasco CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 352.521.4111Cooperative Extension Service..............352.521.4288Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 352.521.4260

Pinellas CountyCounty Courthouse..............................727.464.3485

www.co.pinellas.fl.us/bccPublic Works Department.................... 727.464.3251Environmental Management................ 727.464.4761Emergency Management...................... 727.464.3800Cooperative Extension Service..............727.582.2100

http://coop.co.pinellas.fl.usNatural Resources Conserv Service....... 813.759.6450

Polk CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 863.534.4000Cooperative Extension Service..............863.533.0765Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 863.533.7121

Sarasota CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 941.951.5000Cooperative Extension Service..............941.316.1000Natural Resources Conserv Service....... 941.907.0011North Port........................................... www.northport-florida.comDiscover Venice.................................... www.venice-florida.com

Sumter CountyCounty Courthouse............................. 352.793.0200Cooperative Extension Service..............352.793.2728Natural Resources Conserv Services......352.343.2481

Other Contacts1000 Friends of Florida........................ 850.922.6277Center for Aquatic Plants..................... http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.eduDept of Environmental Protection....... 850.488.3601

http://www.dep.state.fl.usDept of Ag & Consumer Services.........850.488.6249Farm Bureau.........................................850.378.1321Natural Resources Conservation Services.... 352.338.9574 faxSarasota Bay National Estuary Program...... 941.359.5841Stormwater News................................. www.stormwater.resources.comSouthwest FL Water Mgmt District........ 1.800.423.1476

http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.usSt. Johns River Water Mgmt District.... 1.800.451.7106 or 904.329.4500Suwanne River Water Mgmt District....850.362.1001Northwest FL Water Mgmt District..... 850.539.5999Tampa Bay Estuary Program................ 727.893.2765

www.tbep.orgU of F Soil & Water Conserv Sciences.. 352.392.1951U of F Inst of Food & Ag Sciences....... http://gnv.ifas.ufl.eduU of F IFAS Coop Extension Services...http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/www/agator/htm/ces.htm


109

Resource Literature“The Adopt-A-Pond Notebook: Use

it to learn more about your pond envi-ronment.” A 3-ring binder with 5 chap-ters of information, including bookletsand pamphlets from other agencies. Cov-ers wildlife, plants, landscape mainte-nance, and pond maintenance. FREE.

Hillsborough County StormwaterManagement SectionAdopt-A-Pond ProgramP.O. Box 1110Tampa, FL 33601-1110(813) 272-5912

“Lake Smarts: The First Lake Main-tenance Handbook - A Do-It-YourselfGuide to Solving Lake Problems.” BySteve McComas

This how-to manual contains fieldtested easy and affordable projects to helpyou clean up, improve and maintain thelakes and ponds in your community.$18.95 plus shipping.

Terrene Institute4 Herbert StreetAlexandria VA 22305(703) 548-5473

“Florida yards and NeighborhoodsHandbook: A guide to EnvironmentallyFriendly Landscaping.” By University ofFlorida Institute of Food and AgriculturalServices. FREE when you complete a survey.

Your yard is the first line of defensefor Florida’s fragile environment. Tips oncost-saving, environmentally-friendlylandscape practices help you reduce wa-ter, fertilizer and pesticide use. A helpfulsection for waterfront homeowners ad-dresses shoreline management.

The Florida Yards andNeighborhoods Program5339 South SR. 579Seffner, FL 33584-3334(813) 744-5519

“Planting A Refuge for Wildlife: Howto create a backyard habitat for Florida’sbirds and beasts.” By Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission Non-game Wildlife Program, and the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture SoilConservation Service. FREE.

In this booklet, you will find provenways to encourage a broad cross-sectionof Florida Wildlife to visit and live aroundyour home.

Nongame Wildlife ProgramFlorida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission620 South Meridian StreetTallahassee, FL 32399-1600

“Florida Freshwater Plants: A Hand-book of Common Aquatic Plants inFlorida Lakes.” By University of FloridaInstitute of Food and Agricultural Ser-vices. $35.00. Catalogs 100+ speciesfound in Florida lakes from Pensacola toMiami. Essential field guide information oneach species is provided, including color pho-tographs of every plant, complete botanical de-scription, species’ biology and notes of eco-logical interest, Florida map with locations.

C.M. HintonPublications Distribution CenterUniversity of FloridaP.O. Box 11011Gainesville, FL 32611-00111-800-226-1764

“Stormwater Management, A guidefor Floridans.” By Southwest Florida Wa-ter Management District. FREE.

110


The following are available throughUniversity of Florida/Institute of Foodand Agricultural Sciences by writing orcalling:

IFAS PublicationsP.O. Box 110011Gainsville, FL 32611-0011(352) 392-1764

Pesticide Training and Safety

“Aquatic Pest ControlTraining Manual”Item #SM3- 107 pgs. $15.00

“Applying Pesticides Correctly:A Guide For Pesticide Applicators”Item #SM1- 240 pgs. $7.00

Plant Identification

“Grasses, Sedges and Rushes ofWetlands Identification Deck”Item #SP 255- 84 species. $12.00

“Aquatic and Wetland PlantIdentification Deck”Item #SM 50- 67 plants. $10.00

“Florida Wetlant Plants –An Identification Manual”Pub. #244. $35.00

“Identification and Biology ofNon-Native Plants inFlorida’s Natural Areas”Pub. #SP257. $16.00

“Florida Freshwater Plants”Pub. #189. $35.00

“Aquatic Plant Managementin Lakes and Reservoirs”Pub. #A1. $25.00

“Control of Non-Native Plantsin Native Plants in NaturalAreas of Florida”Pub. #SP242. $2.00

“Living at The Lake”Pub. #SP247. $15.00

Aquatic Plant IdentificationPrograms – Video Program7-part series. Recommended foraquatics managers, field personnel,students, and interested public. 26-55 minutes in length. $15.00 ea.

Catalog # Title#VT-360 “Floating & Floating

Leaved Plants”#VT361 “Emersed Plants I”#VT362 “Submersed Plants I”#VT363 “Grasses, Sedges & Rushes I ”#VT369 “Emersed Plants II”#VT370 “Submersed Plants II”#VT371 “Grasses, Sedges & Rushes II”

Resource Literature(continued)


111

US EPA, 1990, The Lake and Reser-voir Restoration Guidance Manual, Sec-ond Edition, prepared by the NorthAmerican Lake Management Society,EPA-440/4-90-006, Washington, DC

Schaefer, Joe, Frank Mazzotti, CraigHuegel, Chuck Cichra, and KenLangeland, in review, DesigningStormwater Ponds for Fish and Wildlifein the Southeast, Gainesville: University ofFlorida, Cooperative Extension Service, In-stitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Environmental Science & Engineer-ing, Inc., 1993, Final report on Best Man-agement Practices for Improvements ofResidential Canals, prepared for theSouthwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict.

Thayer, D. D., K. A. Langeland, W.T. Haller, and J. C. Joyce, Weed Controlin Aquaculture and Farm Ponds, Circu-lar 707, Gainesville: University of Florida,Cooperative Extension Service, Instituteof Food and Agricultural Sciences.

University of Florida, 1996, A Guideto Environmentally Friendly Landscap-ing: Florida Yards and NeighborhoodsHandbook, Bulletin 295, Gainesville:University of Florida, Cooperative Exten-sion Service, Institute of Food and Agri-cultural Sciences.

Livingston, Eric and Ellen McCarron,Stormwater Management: A Guide forFloridians, Tallahassee: Florida Depart-ment of Environmental Regulation.

Whalen, P. J. And M. G. Cullum.1988. An assessment of urban land use/stormwater runoff quality relationshipsand treatment efficiencies of selectedstormwater management systems. Tech-nical publication 88-9, South FloridaWater Management District, ResourcePlanning Dept., West Palm Beach, FL.

Terrene Institute. 1996. A WatershedApproach to Urban Runoff: Handbookfor Decision makers. Terrene Institute, 4-B Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305.

Whipple, William, Jr. And Joseph V.Hunter. 1979. Petroleum Hydrocarbonsin Urban Runoff, Water Resources Bul-letin, American Water Resources Associa-tion Vol. 15(4): 1096-1105.

References:

112


Northwest FloridaWater Management

DistrictRoute 1, Box 3100

Havana, Florida32333-9700

phone: (850) 539-5999fax: (850) 539-4380

Suwannee RiverWater Management

District9225 C.R.49

Live Oak, Florida32060

phone: (386) 362-1001fax: (386) 362-1056

St. Johns RiverWater Management

DistrictP.O. Box 1429

Palatka, Florida32178-1429

phone: (386) 329-4500or 1-800-451-7106

fax: (386) 329-4508

Southwest Florida WaterManagement District

2379 Broad StreetBrooksville, Florida

34604-6899phone: (352) 796-7211

or 1-800-423-1476fax: (352) 754-6876

TDD: 1-800-231-6103

South Florida Water Management District

P.O. Box 24680West Palm Beach, Florida

33416-4680phone: (561)686-8800

or 1-800-432-2045fax: (561) 687-6436

Maps:

NorthwestFlorida

SuwanneeRiver

St. JohnsRiver

SouthwestFlorida

SouthFlorida

NorthwestFlorida

SuwanneeRiver

St. JohnsRiver

SouthFlorida

SouthwestFlorida

N

S

W E

Northwest FloridaWater Management District

Route 1, Box 3100, Havana, Florida 32333-9700Telephone: (850) 539-5999

fax: (850) 539-4380This District includes Bay, Calhoun,

Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes,Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa,

Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.

Suwannee RiverWater Management District

9225 C.R. 49, Live Oak, Florida 32060Telephone: (386) 362-1001

fax: (386) 362-1056This District includes Bay, Columbia, Dixie,

Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison,Suwannee, Taylor and Union Counties, as

well as portions of Alachua, Baker, Bradford,Jefferson, Levy and Putnam counties.

St. Johns RiverWater Management District

P.O. Box 1429, Palatka, Florida 32178-1429Telephone: (386) 329-4500 or 1-800-451-7106

fax: (386) 329-4508This District includes Brevard, Clay, Duval,

Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, Seminole,St. Johns and Volusia counties, as well as

portions of Alachua, Baker, Bradford,Lake, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange,

Osceola, Polk, and Putnam counties.

Southwest FloridaWater Management District

2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, Florida 34604-6899Telephone: (352) 796-7211, or 1-800-423-1476

fax: (352) 754-6876 TDD: 1-800-231-6103This District includes Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee,

Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco,Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter counties,

as well as portions of Charlotte, Highlands,Lake, Levy, Marion and Polk counties.

South FloridaWater Management District

P.O. Box 24680, West Palm Beach, Florida 33416-4680Telephone: (561) 686-8800, or 1-800-432-2045

fax: (561) 687-6436This District includes Broward, Collier, Dade, Glades,

Hendry, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Palm Beachand St. Lucie counties, as well as portions of

Charlotte, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange,Osceola and Polk counties.

WATER

MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

SUWANNEERIVER

SOUTHFL

OR

IDA

WATER MANAGEME

NT

DISTRICT

•• •

ST. JOHNS RIVER

WA

TERMANAGEMENT DISTRIC

T

�BROOKSVILLE

2379 Broad StreetBrooksville, Florida 34604-6899

Phone (352) 796-7211SUNCOM 628-4150

TAMPA7601 U.S. Hwy. 301

Tampa, Florida 33637-6759Phone (813) 985-7481

SUNCOM 578-2070

BARTOW170 Century Blvd.

Bartow, Florida 33830-7700Phone (863) 534-1448

SUNCOM 572-6200

SARASOTA 6750 Fruitville Road

Sarasota, Florida 34240-9711 Phone (941) 377-3722

SUNCOM 531-6900

LECANTO3600 West Sovereign Path suite 226

Lecanto, Florida 34461-8070Phone (352) 521-8131

SUNCOM 667-3271

District Service Office Locations:

2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, Florida 34609-6899

�

�

�

�

�

�

Marion

Levy

Sumter

Pinellas

Lake

Polk

Hernando

Manatee

Desoto

Charlotte

Hardee

Highlands

Pasco

Hillsborough

Citrus

Bartow

Sarasota

Brooksville

Tampa

Lecanto

StormwaterPondsA Citizen’s Guide toTheir Purpose andManagement

Stormwater management isnecessary to protect Florida’sunique natural ecosystems.

The purpose of this guide is toprovide guidelines for effectivepond management; to educatecommunities about the purposesand benefits of stormwater ponds.

It presents a practical approach tostormwater ponds and their care.It contains information ondeveloping a neighborhood-basedcare program for stormwater ponds.The information contained in thisguide will also aid stormwater pondmaintenance companies in theirprovision of quality services to

Documents

Stormwater Ponds: A Citizen’s Guide to Their Purpose and