CLEMSON, S.C. — Recreational ponds are a unique addition to any landscape and offer many benefits to the owner. Recreational ponds typically provide one or more of these common goals: visual amenity, fishing, swimming, wildlife, or bird watching, or waterfowl hunting. While a pond can frequently support more than one goal, the pond design and maintenance may differ depending on use. Many questions need to be answered before a management plan can be developed for the pond. This article discusses pond design, the natural life span of a pond, water quality, potential concerns, and possible funding to defray the cost of pond management.
Pond design features can be difficult to modify once built and play a critical role in a pond’s functionality. The location of a pond will determine the water source and the watershed size. Pond design information provided by the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) for agricultural ponds may also be useful when planning a recreational pond.
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–Clemson Extension Land Grant Press