Pond

The retention pond in the center of Admirals Landing is part of the backyards of twenty-six homeowners who each own a small piece of property that extends under the pond. They have each granted an easement, so that this pond can perform several important functions. This pond is their private property and no fishing or boating is allowed unless you have the express permission of an Admirals Landing pond homeowner. Swimming in this pond is never advised.

Should you be granted permission to fish, please practice ‘catch and release’ of the fish as we consistently have dead fish wash up at the drain and have to be removed due to the foul smell. If you catch a fish and it dies, do not throw it back in the pond.

Retention ponds are extremely important, especially in areas prone to heavy seasonal rains like ours; one of the functions of a retention pond is flood control.  In the case of heavy rains, water is collected in the pond, and if needed, is allowed to overflow into nearby Geist Reservoir.

The other function is for pollution control.  The water found in the retention pond is collected from storm water runoff.  Water from backyard lawns, streets, and other ponds is directed into our retention pond.  By catching the water here, fertilizers from lawns, gasoline, oil and other pollutants from the roads, are allowed to breakdown or settle out naturally.

Unfortunately, when retention ponds are in your backyard, you may not appreciate the consequences of pollution control.  Most times, the nutrient content of a retention pond is extremely high, especially around communities like ours that use fertilizers on lawns and gardens.  Once these nutrients are washed into a retention pond, they are immediately used up by algae and aquatic weeds.  Also, contributing to excessive plant growth is when water levels are low or a pond is very shallow.  In this case, sunlight is able to penetrate the entire water column allowing growth from the bottom all the way to the top.  Combining water, sunlight, and nutrients creates the perfect environment for excessive algae and aquatic plants.

The above factors require retention ponds be treated during the season, for algae and aquatic weeds on a monthly basis to keep up with the growth.  The algaecides and herbicides used in our retention ponds are applied by a trained technician from A.S.A.P. Aquatics and are Department of Environmental Protection approved.  Remember that some plant growth is inevitable and actually healthy for the pond as it provides food and cover for fish and other small organisms.

Again, it is not recommended to use our retention pond for swimming or wading, or to allow pets to drink from them.  This is true even without the use of algaecides and herbicides since there is no way of knowing what could have washed in. You can however, with proper permission from a pond homeowner, enjoy the waterfront view while bird watching or fishing, since our retention pond acts as a wonderful man-made ecosystem.