Here we go again with severe weather with remnants of tropical storm Karen will be heading up through the states and combining with a cold front from the west, Erie, Pa. has warnings out for a chance of damaging winds and up to 2.75” of rain by Tuesday morning.
I know not big news but a reminder to check your property for loose items and lock them down or get them indoors so they don’t become damaged or harm other building or yourself if the wind does pick up.
The bigger part of this short post is about checking on your ponds and lakes. Now that we see the changing leaves there are plenty already falling and with the wind more to come down. If high winds do come about the branches with leaves could also be broken off and blown or washed into the pond..
I know all of this stuff floats, right? and we’ll be fine, maybe, but with the rain filling the pond the excess has to leave the pond and if there are any obstructions for the water not leaving the pond there is a chance of over topping the dam which will not be good.
This would be a possible erosion situation which could start trenching and allowing the pond water to cut through the dam. Not a good situation if this happens then we’ll see our pond disappear, fish float away and lose a lot of earth that was once forming the dam.
So this is just a friendly reminder to get out and check the over flow pipe, stand pipe and emergency spillway for any debris that could plug it up. Check it now before the storm and check again, if safe to, during the storm and right after the storm. Keep the leaves, twigs or the kid’s toy from getting into the pipes or spillway.
Please be safe, don’t do anything that could land you in the water, even wear a life vest while inspecting the pond, you just never know when the wind could pick up or slip and trip over something like a branch.
Take care and weather the storm well and safely.
One more quick note about the excess rain. Not only can the pond dye be washed out but also the beneficial bacteria, even worse is all the water coming into the pond, where is it coming from? Could it be from fields, mowed lawn, grazing pasture or who knows where, one thing to be on the look out is once this water flushes the pond your ponds Eco system can change over night and most likely have to start over with the beneficial bacteria and pond dye if needed.
Enjoy the warmth while you can!
