May Is National Water Safety Month

As pond owners, we often don’t talk enough, or consider the issue of safety in and around our ponds.

May is National Water Safety Month which is meant to serve as a reminder to use precautions and play it safe around water. For the most part, this awareness campaign is targeted towards pool activities, however being “water aware” is a good idea around any type of feature that serves to hold water.

Truth be told, accidents can happen when you’re working with your pond and the best way to avoid them is to be aware of the possibilities and guard against them in the first place. It may go without saying that larger and deeper ponds may hold inherent dangers that are obvious, but accidents can happen in any size of pond, so don’t overlook the small backyard varieties as well.

Take for instance the untimely death of a pond owner who sadly drowned in 12 inches of water after slipping and hitting her head.

When working in and around your pond it’s important to maintain good footing and wear slip resistant footwear.

Many ponds have some form of electrically powered equipment like pumps and foutains and it’s always a good idea to make sure these are in good working order and to look for and repair any damaged wiring or issues before putting the device in the water.

It could be said that ponds are like magnets for kids and animals of all kinds. The latter may use the pond for drinking.

Children and pets are highly vulnerable around small ponds and should never be left unattended. Even small plastic formed ponds can be dangerous for small animals because they are very hard to get out of if an animal falls in by accident.

It’s helpful, if possible, to design a shallow end which can provide an easy exit from the pond. Placing some type of barrier, either in terms of fencing or netting may also be helpful to create a safer pond in your backyard.

If you own a larger pond, do you have safety tools near the pond? Life lines or floatation devices need to be easy to find and dispensed quickly if they are needed. On many large ponds the issue of ice safety also needs to be considered during the winter months.

Maybe the best advice I could pass along is to go out and look over your pond while the thoughts of safety are fresh on your mind. Look for possible dangers and issues that might come along and make it a point to keep safety in mind as you work with your pond in the future.

Taking the proper precautions now may just save a life down the road.

http://www.watersafetymonth.org/