Adopt Your Pond

How to Form Your Own "Adopt-A-Pond" For Your Neighborhood Pond

This information is intended to help residents manage their privately owned stormwater ponds. Common problems include algae blooms, fish kills, and non-native or invasive vegetation. Clogged storm drains, pet waste, litter, and leaking oil from vehicles are issues that concern everyone in the neighborhood. Often these problems are made worse by a lack of native buffer zones and aquatic vegetation.

To adopt a pond, form a group of people who live in the pond’s drainage area. Include everyone who has an interest, not just people who live on the pond. List the problems: write things down. Start a mailing or email list. A history of drainage activities will be valuable for future pond improvements and maintenance.  

Gather information about your pond and its watershed. This can include: names and contact information for your pond group; an aerial photograph of your neighborhood; site or drainage plans; locations of pond outfalls, drainage pipes, drop boxes and other structures; maintenance records for herbicide treatments, grass carp, plant removal; homeowner association covenants or deed restrictions; and local government contacts for road maintenance, mosquito control, etc.

List possible solutions . What would you like the pond to look like? Listen to all ideas, then reach consensus on what can be accomplished by the pond group. Solutions can include quarterly neighborhood meetings, storm drain marking, native plantings, nuisance vegetation removal, pond cleanup days, grants, and/or a general neighborhood cleanup.

Write an action plan. This can include: pond history, pond group members, pond maintenance schedule, budget, pollution prevention and education program, aquatic vegetation enhancement, algae control and fish & wildlife goals.

Implement your plan. Group members should be assigned specific tasks. Set deadlines. Contact local government agencies for educational material and technical guidelines.

A Citizen’s Guide to Lake and Pond Management was originally created for the Pinellas County Adopt-A-Pond program. If you would like to receive a hard copy or CD of this guide book, or if you simply want more information on adopting your own pond, please contact Melissa Harrison or Anamarie Rivera at the Pinellas County Watershed Management Office at (727) 464-4425.