Preventing Runoff

[RachelR]

What is the best way to prevent runoff into our pond? We have a natural bottom pond we just expanded this year, and it gets a lot of runoff when it rains. This leaves us with muddy water until it clears up. What should we do around the edges to prevent this? Build up the edges with dirt? Add plants to the edges? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lisak1]

Yes and yes. You want the pond edge to be higher than the surrounding areas. I would berm it up around the edge and gently slope it back down into the landscape. You don't want it to look like you have a crater with a giant ring around it. And planting the edges won't stop water from running into the pond, but it will help keep any runoff you do get from eroding the edge and from getting debris in the pond.

 

[RachelR]

Thank you. Would you use dirt to add the berm or some other material?

 

[addy1]

Thank you. Would you use dirt to add the berm or some other material?

I have used dirt, rocks, gravel, whatever raises the edge high enough.

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. Like @addy1 said - whatever you can hard pack to create that edge will work. You want it to be firm enough that you can walk on it without anything eroding under your feet. We have mainly clay soil, so we can basically create cement by adding a bit of water.