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Issues Surrounding Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature

Each spring, Lost Creek Landscapes gets a countless number of calls from Arlington to Leesburg and everywhere in between and throughout the region of Northern Virginia. This spring we have noticed an increase in the calls concerning ponds and water features. Many homeowner have either recently uncovered their pond or water feature or have moved into a home with an existing pond or water feature. Depending upon how the ponds or water features were cared for over the course of the long winter months the nature of these calls vary. Since Lost Creek Landscapes is committed to providing our customers with the best service, our staff has put together a small article regarding pond and water feature issues.

It is important to remember that your pond or water feature is a living eco-system. The water in a pond or water feature is made up of millions of natural microscopic and organic contaminants. The source of these contaminants varies. Dead plants that have sat over winter, insects, or fish waste are the most common sources of bacteria. Since a pond is intended to be a natural eco-system there consists no magic formula that can be bought off the shelf to set your pond's system right. Instead, Mother Nature must do her work.

Spring is the best time to do a full pond clean out. Remove all leaves and sedimentation that has formed over the long winter months. Be careful not to disrupt the sedimentation too much. Since the sediment contains bacteria stirring up pond water can cause the bacteria to spread. The bacteria in stagnant sediment has been known to kill plant life and fish life as well. It is recommended that you install an aerator in your pond. Aerators will introduce oxygen to your pond. The introduction of fresh oxygen will jump start your pond to naturally cleansing itself of the bad bacteria left over.

It may also be desirable for homeowners to look into purchasing positive bacteria and enzymes that will serve as cleaning agents in your ponds eco-system. Proper protozoa have the ability to clean unwanted algae from your pond. Once your pond water has cleared, it should be safe to introduce plant and aquatic life. Monitor the progress of plants and fish to gauge how the eco system is developing in your pond.