Wetlands are Important Ponds Too

Recently, many pond owners that we have been corresponding with have indicated to us that they own in one form or another a type of pond called wetland. Owning wetland also needs to be cared for and many wetland owners share the same concerns and challenges as most pond owners. The main one recently being how do we keep our wetlands healthy and clean so that we can keep mosquitoes and other potential harmful insects from breeding in our water.

Wetlands are defined as land that is saturated by water for periods long enough to support the growth of water based vegetation such as bulrushes, weeds etc...

There are five basic categories of wetlands;

• Bogs
• Fens
• Saltwater and freshwater marshes
• Swamps
• Shallow Water Ponds

In North America, most of the wetlands remain intact but a small percentage 15-20% of them have been converted into fields for agricultural use or housing.

Wetlands offer many benefits to humans and animals such as;

• Providing a vital habitat for many reptiles, fish, amphibians, birds and insects to lay eggs and reproduce.
• Providing scientists with an excellent barometer on the environment's health.
• Producing forms of food like zooplankton for the many species that live in the wetland.
• Providing shelter for many species of animals either permanently of temporarily for animals like birds who choose to nest in wetland.

Wetlands in North America are among the most valuable productive ecosystems. Supporting all sorts of animal life and providing millions of people with numerous sports and recreational activity opportunities such as fishing, hunting, trapping, photographing, painting, sightseeing etc...

Wetland owners are starting to turn to pond aeration solutions to ensure that their wet land water does not stagnate and become toxic breeding grounds for non-favorable insects such as mosquitoes. Communities are very concerned about the spread of West Nile Virus and rightly so.

Wetlands are usually quite far from electricity so a popular and cost effective solution for providing oxygen to the wetland water is windmill aeration. Placing multiple air diffusers off of one windmill is assisting many concerned pond owners in their attempts to keep their wetland water healthy, clean and circulated to cut down on insect breeding, pond algae, pond scum and odorous smells.

© 2006, Pond Owner Magazine.
www.pondowner.com