Have you ever noticed “Protected Natural Wetlands” sign while walking your dog or riding your bike on a trail in the woods? The reason the DEQ (Dept of Environmental Quality) protects these spaces is they serve as a natural filter of our water resources. Water runs slowly through river stone and cattails, and is filtered through the root systems of aquatic plants. Moving water creates oxygen, and lowers nitrogen and phosphorus levels which contributes to algae growth.
So Whats the problem?
The problem is a lot of Pond owners have is algae growth and poor water quality and clarity in their pond. Many people are hiring companies to come and dump chemicals in the pond that kill algae. This is actually adding to the problem because all the dead algae falls to the bottom of the pond and creates more sludge and sediment that contribute to even more algae growth.
The exciting news is the same process that mother nature uses to filter watering in a protected wetlands can be recreated in your backyard pond. It’s called a Wetland Filter. A wetland filter can be added to any large pond or backyard Koi Pond by adding pumps and a constructed wetland next to the edge of the pond. The pumps are place on one edge of the pond in what’s called an Intake Bay, and the Wetland Filter is constructed on the opposite side of the Pond. We will get into Intake Bays in another Blog Post.
As you can see in the photos, Platinum Ponds & Landscaping constructed this Wetland Filter on the edge of an existing 175′ x 80′ Pond. Platinum Ponds is a certified Aquascape Contractor and we size our constructed Wetland Filters per the specs recommended by Aquascape Inc.
How does it work?
Water is pumped into the bottom of the Wetland Filter and the water is pushed through Centipede Modules in the trench at the very bottom of the Wetland. It then moves up slowly and evenly through all of the aquablox as shown in the pictures. We then install about 2′ of riverstone on top of the aquablox (largest size stone being on the bottom) so the sediments catch into the stone while being pushed up through the wetland. (See diagram Below)
This process of water being pumped from the pond and moving up through the Wetland Filter is what creates oxygen and vastly improves water clarity. Water moving up through the Aquablox (Black water storage modules) and through the 2′ of river stone filter the Pond Water just like mother nature does in a protected wetland. At the end of each season we can install aquatic pumps into the snorkel vaults shown in the diagram above and pump out all the sediments that get trapped down in the bottom of the Wetland Filter.
A Wetland Filter is the answer to having a clean and healthy looking pond. The difference is this process works because its working with mother nature with the natural filtration process just like a protected wetland. Dumping chemicals and other processes that kill algae are only adding to your problems.
If you have any question or if you want to understand if this process may be a good fit for your pond, please contact Platinum Ponds & Landscaping in Grand Rapids, MI to schedule a consultation.