Recently, there has been an explosion in the number of ponds dotting the suburban landscape. Most have been created to satisfy local government regulations for stormwater detention in new developments. These ponds can be attractive features.They provide opportu-nities to observe nature, engage in recreation, or simply enjoy the view. Perhaps your home sits alongside a stormwater detention pond, or there's one down the street in the neighborhood park. Your office complex may have a detention pond or two on its property.

Stormwater detention ponds or Abasins are designed to hold rain water that has Arun off the surrounding landscape of lawns, roads, and rooftops. The storm-water is held in the basin awhile and slowly released to a nearby waterbody. In this way, stormwater detention basins reduce how fast runoff enters our natural waterways. This protects areas downstream from flooding and erosion. Most detention ponds also function to trap pollutants in runoff such as nutrients, metals, and sediments. As a result, detention ponds most likely aren't going to look like a natural pond or lake. They may not have clear water, provide certain recreational activities, or be a top destination for wildlife. Still, there are things that can be done to improve the appearance and recreational benefits of detention ponds, while they continue to do their main work of stormwater detention.

In this edition of Lake Notes, we'll first talk about what signals a degraded detention pond, what some of the causes might be, and what can be done to better manage the pond for recreation and aesthetics.

	Storm Water Detention Ponds (PDF printable version, 282KB)
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