Lake Management
An Ounce of Prevention
Don’t defer maintenance in water management by Patrick Simmsgeiger, Diversified Waterscapes Inc.
C
onsider a body of water. Some call it a lake; some call it a pond. Others call it a pain. Oftentimes, property owners build a pond or lake thinking that because natural lakes and ponds seem to fare well without any attention, their water feature will as well. This does not hold true for any body of water, be it man-made or natural.
Common Pitfalls Do these symptoms sound familiar? Your water feature has strange, slimy globs of green stuff covering its surface. Huge mats of a bizarre grass are floating up from the bottom. The water is pea-soup green. Your waterfall has slowed to a trickle. Two of your pumps have ceased functioning, and the remaining pump is making strange noises. One problem is immediately March/April 2022
followed by another, and then another. First comes shock, followed by a frantic search for competent advice that often leads to confusion and frustration, because out of all the suggestions you have found, not one recommendation is the same. Finally, anger takes hold as the full reality of your situation begins to sink in. To avoid these pitfalls, you must request budget-planning and maintenance-scheduling input from your lake, pond or stream maintenance provider. Hopefully, you have hired a company with a good background, a proven track record and confirmed references. Hiring a company with a quality reputation and portfolio prepares you to properly care for your water feature and puts you on the road to fully enjoying it.
Deferred Maintenance By definition, deferred maintenance means that a property owner has put off needed maintenance or repairs, allowing their property to POND Trade Magazine 49
