Ponds make wonderful additions to any property. Many pond owners enjoy the beauty and interest their pond adds to their home landscape. But owning a pond is also beneficial to the environment. Here are just a few benefits of digging a pond:

• Stores water for farm animals, irrigation: A more practical benefit, some property owners keep a pond to water their horses, sheep, goats, and cattle. It's an accessible watering hole for them, as well as a habitat for wild animals. Others may use the lake or pond to hold water for crop or garden irrigation during the dry months of the year.
• Fewer pesticides and fertilizers: Pesticides and fertilizers for the lawn can be harmful, creating runoff that ends up in our water supply. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 35 percent of lawn fertilizers applied ever reach the grass plant. The rest ends up in our air or seeps into groundwater. During a typical year, over 102 million pounds of toxic pesticides are applied in pursuit of a perfect lawn and garden. But adding a pond or water garden to your backyard not only can save you money on fertilizer––the sludge collected by your pond filter (which is filled with nutrients from fish droppings, excess fish food, and decaying leaves) is a natural fertilizer that can be used to feed your landscape.
• Becomes your own fishing pond: If you're a fishing enthusiast, you probably know that there are few things better than fishing your own stocked pond. You'd be able to set up habitats for them, feed them and monitor their behavior. Rather than getting up before dawn and driving to a favorite fishing hole, you can pull on your waders and head out to your own pond whenever the fish are biting!
• Creates environmental awareness: Getting kids involved and thinking about nature early in life encourages them to continue their interest in the environment throughout adulthood. Planning, building, and maintaining a pond or water garden can teach children how a complete, natural ecosystem works. It can also help them understand the responsibility we all have for caring for our environment, which can ignite their interest in creating a better future for our planet.

Now since ponds are man made, they have a lot of naturally-occurring behavior that is undesirable and downright frustrating. Muddy water, overproduction of algae, unwanted vegetation, or the dreaded sudden die-off of fish. Ponds definitely benefit from pond management. It increases the pond’s health, your enjoyment and the value of your property.