Paver Sand with Polymer Spill

[Pfarthing]

We’re having our patio pavers rehabbed. Yesterday one of the workers blew paver sand with polymers into our koi pond. Now the pond is covered with “foam” and shows no sign of breaking up/disintegrating. We have 3 small koi who were just beginning to wake up to Spring. Any advice on how to fix this? I’m devastated

 

[addy1]

Welcome!

Can you net it out? Is it just sitting on the surface? Post a picture so we can see what you are saying.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh no! We had our patio re-sanded a few years ago and they were very careful to blow the sand off away from the pond. I'm sorry that happened!

Do you have any idea how much sand? Can you skim the foam off and see how much of it is actually sand? Is it possible there was a soaping agent of some kind used on the patio and that's what the foam actually is? I'm trying to figure out why the sand would cause foaming. A small amount of sand - which is what I would imagine made it onto the pond surface - should just sink to the bottom.

 

[Pfarthing]

Oh no! We had our patio re-sanded a few years ago and they were very careful to blow the sand off away from the pond. I'm sorry that happened!

Do you have any idea how much sand? Can you skim the foam off and see how much of it is actually sand? Is it possible there was a soaping agent of some kind used on the patio and that's what the foam actually is? I'm trying to figure out why the sand would cause foaming. A small amount of sand - which is what I would imagine made it onto the pond surface - should just sink to the bottom.

 

[Pfarthing]

Thanks for the replies. They cleaned the pavers several days ago and were very careful abt the pond. I don’t think it’s soap. They swept the sand into the cracks and then blew the sand remaining on surface. I don’t think it was a lot but I didn’t see. My concern is that it’s

the polymer agent.

 

[Lisak1]

I was trying to figure out what the fine mesh was - then realized you took the picture through a screen!

That looks like soapy foam to me - scoop some out and see what it consists of. If it is foam, it will eventually dissipate on it's own, or there are de-foaming agents you can add to ponds.

Amazon.com

I'd make sure to check with your patio folks and ask what THEY think it might be. I know when they cleaned and re-sanded our patio, they did use soap or detergent in the power wash.

 

[Pfarthing]

I was trying to figure out what the fine mesh was - then realized you took the picture through a screen!

That looks like soapy foam to me - scoop some out and see what it consists of. If it is foam, it will eventually dissipate on it's own, or there are de-foaming agents you can add to ponds.

Amazon.com

I'd make sure to check with your patio folks and ask what THEY think it might be. I know when they cleaned and re-sanded our patio, they did use soap or detergent in the power wash.

 

[Pfarthing]

Yes, the pond is covered with mesh to keep out predators. Who knew we had to worry abt humans. Thank you for the link; I’ll let you know how this turns out

 

[RobAmy]

If you have a wet dry vac just suck the foam off the top.

 

[poconojoe]

If you have a wet dry vac just suck the foam off the top.

Shop vac, great idea!

That stuff looks as though it's floating on the surface...hopefully.

I'm guessing what you are talking about is a latex polymer. It is generally used as a bonding agent in masonry work. Sort of a primer in layman's terms. It's used to help the cement stick to the surrounding surfaces. It gives the cement a sticky like consistency.

I would ask the contractor for the MSDS material safety sheets on the polymer they used. This way you can hopefully look up the exact composition of the product and hopefully determine if it's toxic for pond fish.

 

[j.w]

@Pfarthing Lots of good ideas above! Hope it does not harm your fish.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Ooops! Well, I never would have considered something like that happening — something I will keep in mind in case I have sanding work done.

If you can’t skim it out with a fine net, agree that a shop vac should work. If there are concerns about water quality, you could do some partial water changes (be sure to add dechlorinator if your water is treated).

 

[Lisak1]

Yes, the pond is covered with mesh to keep out predators.

Oh gosh! It WAS a net... I overthunk that one!

 

[brokensword]

I'd worry that aeration is affected since surface agitation is the primary means of doing this. The foam/slick isn't goingto let that happen. Minimally I'd try and skim with a net to see if you can pull the whole mess toward you and off the pond surface. Good luck!

 

[Billyboy2526]

We’re having our patio pavers rehabbed. Yesterday one of the workers blew paver sand with polymers into our koi pond. Now the pond is covered with “foam” and shows no sign of breaking up/disintegrating. We have 3 small koi who were just beginning to wake up to Spring. Any advice on how to fix this? I’m devastated