It didn’t take long after last month’s announcement of the Healthy Pond Collaborative moving to Manatee County for a number of communities to contact us about help with their ponds. One of the first to reach out to the HPC Manatee was Fresh Meadows, a community in Palmetto built back in 1990-1993 consisting of 156 residences and a population of approximately 520 people.
Fresh Meadows has four stormwater ponds and the HPC Manatee was asked to examine them to address the community’s concerns about a number of eroding banks and some unsightly algal buildup.
After looking over their ponds, we recommended the expansion of the existing No Mow Zone that will help control further bank erosion and the installation of more aquatic plants in the ponds’ littoral zones that will help reduce erosion from wind and waves in the pond and limit algal growth by crowding out and shading sun-loving algae.
After further consultation with Solitude, their pond service provider, it was agreed that the HPC Manatee would provide a $2,590 grant to cover the cost of the aquatic plant stock necessary for a successful pond enhancement program. As a result of the grant, Fresh Meadows received over 3,500 aquatic plants covering 5,500 linear feet of new pond shoreline. The principal plants used in the installation were Pickerel Weed, Duck Potato and Gulf Spike Rush.
If your ponds are plagued with unsightly algae or damaging bank erosion, you should contact us for a free pond consultation. In Manatee County contact Dr. Charles Reith at charles.c.reith@gmail.com. In Sarasota County, contact Sandy Gilbert at sandem133@aol.com.
