Small Landscape Ponds and Children

artemis, kinda taking the fun out of this! LOL! Just kidding, of course. OK, I understand what you're saying and of course I know that if such a tragedy did happen, I most certainly would be sued. But I suspect I'd also be sued if some kid played hide-&-seek behind my central air unit and got electricuted. The risk of a freak accident lies with decks, jungle-gyms, trampolines, pools, pets, etc., etc. One part of me thinks I'm being too concerned considering that the association itself has an nice 5 acre unsecured/unsupervised pond in the middle of the neighborhood complete with steep banks and a quick drop-off, but on the other hand I don't want to create a hazard prone to an accident. I guess I'm trying to decide if a landscaping pond is a true hazard to kids or just another possible site for a freak accident. I do like the idea of making it shallow and foregoing the fish. I'm glad to hear plants would still be an option. I think I may go that route. That said, can anyone advice me on maintenance with a pond that has rocks filling the bottom? Seems with all those nooks and crannies, it would foul up faster. I do have a 500 gallon pump and filter to this set-up with is approximately 200 gallons total. Thanks all!!!
 
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Since you aren't allowed to put up fences, could you put some sort of thick hedge/plant to border trhe entire thing, keep it at 2 ft or so height, adults could still see it, and admire it , but the little ones wouldn't be able to go near it.

Matt
 
JetService, a toddler drowning in one of your small ponds would be a freak accident, no question about it, and the risk is small. The problem is that your pond (unlike your backyard deck or your AC unit) is going to serve as a child magnet. What kid wouldn't want to splash around in the water and chase those pretty fish? By constructing it, you're doing something that will serve to actively attract other people's children onto your property - and by building the ponds in the most public part of your property, you've insured maximum awareness of them.

The association's retaining pond is certainly a greater risk (both physical and legal), no question about it. But if a tragedy happens there it will be the association which is sued, not you personally. You have to decide how much legal risk you're willing to live with, and go from there.

(I sympathize with both your worries and your frustrations, as I recently added a similar small water feature to my own backyard, and my neighborhood is full of families with young children. I fenced the yard just to be safe, and it added $2000 to the project. A lot of money to spend protecting other people's children, who shouldn't be trespassing in my yard in the first place!)

I like Macromatt's idea of the hedges; if your association will allow them, that would be an ideal solution as it would keep the wee tots safely away while allowing older children and adults to enjoy the ponds. A decorative "fence" made out of bamboo screen or similar material, only 2 feet or so in height, may also be something your association would permit. They may not consider such a small screen a true fence under the bylaws, but it would keep the littlest kids out of the water.

If you decide to make the ponds shallower, I'd use a clay soil to fill up most of the spaces between the large rocks, then top things off with 1-2 inches of river rock (not the pea-sized stuff, but the larger size, with rocks about 1/2" to 1" in diameter). Debris will tend to collect in the spaces between the river rocks, but it should be easy enough to clean it out with a pond vacuum. Just vacuum the bottom on a regular basis (twice a year or so) and you should have no serious problems.
 
Thanks for all the tips folks. I think the hedge or ornamental fence idea would work well. After laying the rock I'm more confortable with the driveway side of the lower pond. The pond is about 2' from the driveway, but sits about 18" higher. The margin between the two is a fairly steep mound of river rock and 6" of coping (higher than the rock). They literally have to get on their hands & knees to get to it. On the street side, the pond site about 20' from the road, but is gaurded nicely by my brick pedestal light. The yard side is flush with the pond and may be good for the hedge or fence. I do intend to add about 4' of landscaping & mulch on that side and could put major greenery near the pond to gaurd it. The other pond is raised on a 18" retaining wall so that should be fine. If I shallow them both out, I will probably be pretty confortable with the whole set-up from a safety perspective. Thanks again all. Feel free to continue ideas!!!
 
welded grating

You could also have a welded grating made to rest 8 or 10 inches below the surface, painted black it would hardly be noticible, yet strong enough to support a child who fell in. I've seen that in some public garden I think.
 
There are risks to everything in your yard, including pesticides on your lawn.

You cannot toddler proof everything, and most parents realize this. Again, if a child has a parent who isn't watching him/her and the child was to drown, that would be tragic but what are you going to do? It is unrealistic to think that you can immunize your whole property from the (possible) risks involved with owning a home.
 
Are you actually discouraging someone from minimizing the chances that someone could be killed on their property in a pond? That's sure what it sounds like.
 
The problem, aquariumfishguy, is that many people DO underestimate the risks these "shallow" ponds pose to young children. Most people wouldn't think of leaving a toddler alone in a bathtub, even for a moment; many ornamental water features contain deeper water than the average bathtub holds (unless you fill your tub to the very brim) and are filled 24/7, but people don't look at them as posing the same degree of risk. And as the popularity of watergardening rises and more and more people install ornamental ponds in their yards, the chances of a tragedy happening increase. People who live in very rural areas may be fine without a fence; most people who live in more developed neighborhoods need to take into account the real possibility of an unescorted small child wandering into their pond, and take steps to insure that it can't happen.

Again, if a child has a parent who isn't watching him/her and the child was to drown, that would be tragic but what are you going to do?
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Fence the yard. If your yard is fenced, a small child won't be able to wander into it, no matter how negligent the parents might be.

It is unrealistic to think that you can immunize your whole property from the (possible) risks involved with owning a home.
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But it is not unrealistic to think that building a fence around your property will substantially reduce the risk of a youngster drowning in your pond.
 
The ponds are just about done. I just need to tuck the lighting cord under the rock and finish up with a few plants in a corner. Unfortunately, there is a leak somewhere. I have to figure that out. I lost about 50 gallons overnight on the low pond with the pump.

As for the safety thing, I'm leaning toward a shallow barrier that would hold a child should they fall in; perhaps 6-12" below the surface. To avoid something unsightly such as a grate, I was wondering about a cut pane of plexi-glass with strategically placed holes for plants and fish (although I think I've pretty much ruled out fish already). Could be the perfect invisible yet strong solution. Does this sound plausible?
 
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