Best Management Practices

What does BMP mean?

BMP stands for Best Management Practices. BMPs are used for stormwater ponds in Charlotte, NC. They are popular with HOAs (homeowners association).

What are BMPs?

“They are routine maintenance and management activities on the land surrounding a small pond that extend the life of a pond” (Division of Fish and Wildlife- DNREC).

Prevention

After time, organic materials and sediment build up at the bottom of the pond stimulating algae to grow. Which, of course, is a problem. Some claim that a vegetative buffer is one of the best BMPs and preventions.

A vegetative buffer “is an area 15-20-foot wide area surrounding a pond that is left unmowed or mowed only once or twice a year so that grasses and plants grow knee-high. This vegetation serves to slow the flow of surface water into the pond allowing much of the silt and nutrients to drop out before they reach the pond” (Division of Fish and Wildlife- DNREC).

Geese and clean water do not mix. An unmowed vegetative buffer is not attractive to geese, preventing more sediment buildup.

Cure

Cures are expensive! If you see a lot of algae covering your pond, a cure may be the only way to fix the problem. A weed/ algae control might be the cure you are looking for, and there are two kinds: mechanical and chemical.

“Mechanical control is the physical removal of algae mats using rakes or fencing materials to skim the pond surface. This is physically demanding but has the advantage of removing some of the nitrates and phosphates that are incorporated in the plant material. For some species, there may be no other, inexpensive alternative” (Division of Fish and Wildlife- DNREC).

“Chemical control means the use of herbicides. Herbicides to control algae are called algaecides and do not kill rooted plants in most cases. The application of algaecides approved for ponds with fish populations usually causes a rapid decrease in the algal material, but control is short- lived as decomposition makes the nutrients readily available for re-growth of algae or other plants.

A fish kill can result if a large amount of plant material is treated at one time and decomposes using up the supply of dissolved oxygen in a pond. Additionally, there are several algaecides, and it is necessary to identify which species of algae is present before determining the best algaecide” (Division of Fish and Wildlife- DNREC).

Prevention is looking pretty good right about now, don’t you think? That’s why understanding BMPs will help you. Click here for more BMPs.

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