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Our Milkyway Homestead and Ponds
Our Milkyway Homestead and Ponds
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We have constructed two ponds to follow a natural philosophy and therefore the only mechanical assistance is from pumps for maintaining proper water levels. All though we have no filtration the water is crystal clear. The key here is the quantity of water and a significant plant, fish and biological flora which naturally maintains clarity. In this regard, it is useful to understand the process of maintaining a naturally balanced aquarium so please see the underlined link here. People have been nurturing natural aquariums for many years and your local aquarium shop is and excellent resource. To bring this concept into a larger scale using rainwater catchment is a more recent phenomenon. We have collected plants locally and in Arkansas, purchased a few from local sources, in addition to offerings by other Austin Pond Society members. We also have introduced mosquito-fish (Gambusia) and common goldfish and they are thriving very well with minimal care. In the larger pool I have gone for months without feeding these fish and they do very well because of the plants and other biological medium they feed on including any mosquito larvae or other aquatic insects that may hatch. I have never actually seen mosquito wigglers as they likely are eaten very soon after hatching.
The roof gutter system for our 2,000 square foot home is slightly larger than 2,000 feet because of overhang. We estimate that if it rains 1 inch we collect approximately 1,500 gallons of water. It is our experience although we have a 4,000 gallon above ground pool, we can only collect about 2000 gallons as we must always maintain the pool height sufficient to gravity flow to the waterfall and maintain the biotic environment. Thus, we recommend when placing an above ground pool, if possible, locate it so the lowest water-level in the pool (2 feet in our case), is above the waterfall pond outfall. Therefore you will always be able to maintain a gravity flow to the waterfall. Our decorative waterfall pond is approximately 1200 gallons and is lined with a rubber liner purchased from Lowes. They have 2 grades of liner, get the best. As mentioned water flows by gravity from the pool to the pond waterfall, since the intake pipe at the pool is set at two feet high, in an event a pipe breaks or some other failure, the pool will still maintain a 2 foot level (pool is 4 feet high and 16 feet across). Two pumps can take suction from the small pond and discharge back to the pool. Level controllers on each of these pumps maintain the level within 2 inches continually. Pump 1 and Level Controller 1 is primary and set a little lower than Pump 2 which serves as a backup. The intake for the two pumps in the pond is only a few inch's below surface so if level control fails and the pump is stuck ON the pond will not go too low. The pump is available through Harbor Freight Submersible Waterfall Pump Item #68418.
Additionally we can take suction from the pool and pump to a drip irrigation system although I have found that pumping is not really necessary but it is faster. Just the simple 2 foot head from the pool provides sufficient pressure for irrigation. I have used the following system supplied by Lowe's and recommend the pressure compensating emitters (or similar), and a screened filter (Raindrip Nylon Hose/Pipe Thread Drip Irrigation Filter Item #: 208105 | Model #: R605DT). I have not had any problem with the screen clogging but I do clean it about every week or two. I usually discover a small amount of debris at this interval. Remember the water is very clear. When the tank is 4 feet high I can easily see the bottom with no distortion. I continue to be amazed.
SEE ADDITIONAL NOTES BELOW
4000 gallon aboveground
swimming pool
Pump 1 in pond pumps to pool to maintain proper level
Pump 2 level control slightly above pump 1 serves as a backup
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Pond Technical Information
Pond Technical Information
ADDITIONAL NOTES
With proper valving pond pump 2 can be used to pressure irrigate system. However, when used in this way there is no secondary backup to keep the pond at proper level. Remember the worse case scenario is if both pump systems fail the water will still flow to the waterfall from pool until the pool is at the lowest level (2 feet or so), thus breaking the gravity flow siphon. Water will be overflowing out of the waterfall pond. Level in pool will then need to be raised above outflow level and siphon primed (this is done with one of the pumps).
Roof types: Although we have a galvanized roof it is my belief that asphalt will work well for pond water catchment and irrigation purposes. I am not treating the water that goes to the pool in any manner except I have screens on the gutter system to collect leaves. If you were collecting water for drinking water purposes then of course additional treatment would be needed. If you wish to conduct a test collect some rain water from a asphalt roof start with a small pond maybe a 100 gallon plastic container, follow the recommendations to set up a natural-aquarium and supply it with run off from the roof. I would be surprised if you encounter a problem. There are a number of resources on the web that speak to this issue but keep in mind many are trying to produce drinking water quality water. When reviewing such information please note if the writer is selling equipment as this of course may bias there opinion. Keep in mind that the treatment capability of a natural pond is very significant. There are a number of in-ground ponds-catchment basins throughout our city that are collecting water that runs off of roads, parking lots, residents and commercial establishments and minnows and other biological floral survive very well.
As I have mentioned previously I have gone for months without feeding the fish. Actually I do not really recommend feeding them much as it just adds an organic load and can contribute to cloudy water and algae growth. An inexpensive food that you can feed is dog food.
I purchased my goldfish from an aquarium shop for $.25 each. They were plain and dull in color and I was not real hopeful for them. They have grown up to be about 5 inches and are multi-colored and are lovely. We have since added two more varieties of goldfish.
My 4,000 gallon above ground swimming pool cost me $350. It serves my purposes very well. Actually if I had more room in the back yard I would get a taller and larger pool as I could catch a lot more rainwater. I have seen some 6,000 gallon pools for about $450. It is best to get one that is 5 feet high.
Since I have a natural aquarium I have taken plants from it and stocked the outdoor pools and many of them are thriving. A plant of significant interest is Anacharis (Egeria densa). It has done exceedingly well and I believe it is a very good foundation plant. This plant will form a cover that partially shades the pond thus reducing potential for algae growth.
Getting anacharis and adding other plants and mosquito fish is a key, also water, detritus and plants from a natural-aquarium will prime the biological process.
Once our pool system was biologically stable, during low rainfall times, I have added as much as 20% chlorinated city water. The addition of water because of the lack of rainfall, may be necessary to maintain the flow to the waterfall and water levels sufficient for irrigation. When adding water to any pond/pool a air gap must be maintained so there is no chance of back siphonage to your drinking water system in the event the drinking water system pressure fails. In such a case back siphonage can occur contaminating the drinking water system.
Any return pumps, moving water from the pond to the pool, can provide aeration if the pipe is above the water surface of the pool. In hot weather it is important to keep an eye on the pool for small bubbles. If you see this during the day it is an indication you have anaerobic decomposition occurring and you need to increase aeration. You can do this simply with a sprinkler head that has large openings. This is usually not a problem once your system is established but may be an issue the first year depending on shade and heat as this is more likely to occur during hot weather.
In any of the ponds one can place potted aquatic plants such as water lilies. For the above ground pool the depth may be too great. Therefore, we use weighted down plastic crates to place these potted plants .
For a level controller I am using FLOODFREE II Pump Control & Alarm by Mechanical Ingenuity Corp. It has worked very well. I have one for the primary pump and one for the backup. Okay, this is a little bit of technology for a low tech system, however, it sure beats spending bucks for filters, skimmers, etc.
See notes below for detail
