Author Topic: pond safety (Read 2321 times)

Pam B · « **on:** February 14, 2007, 06:32:30 PM »

Hi everyone! I've been with your group for many a year (prior chat room with many of you). I have received so much information from this group in the past, I know someone will help me with my new problem.
I've been ponding for 8 years and it has given our family great joy until now. We just had our first grandchild and she will be walking this summer. My pond has brick pavers coming right up to the waters edge. The ground by the pond in very stabel. What can I use to protect FAST little feet from going into the pond? Any suggestions on what type of decorative fencing is out there? Please help before spring is upon me. Thanks!
Pam
Royal Oak, Michigan

Esther · « **Reply #1 on:** February 14, 2007, 06:51:09 PM »

Hi Pam, I don't know how strong/safe my fence is but I hope it would at least visually/physically deter unwelcome people/creatures from my pond. I used leftover deck spindles, sharpened one end with the chop (mitre) saw, drilled two holes about 6-8" apart near the top and ran clothesline rope through the holes. I put knots in the end post to hold the rope from pulling through and pounded the spindles into the ground. Where I need to get into the pond at the steps, I put clips on the ends of the ropes that clip on to a screw eye that is screwed into the post on the other side of the path. When winter is approaching and I am putting away all the pond accessories, I pull the stakes up and store them. I also have plantings like Ajuga under the little fence so it doesn't look like something to walk in, not that it would matter to a baby. The only thing that really works for the kids is luck and being very vigilant.

Sean · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2007, 07:06:00 PM »

Bamboo steaks with a rope like in a bank?

I just became a grandfather a few weeks ago and have pondered the same thing.

I believe the best deterrent is to train the little tyke that the pond, while pretty is dangerous and should only be admired in the presence of an adult.

Cheers,
Sean

Pam B · « **Reply #3 on:** February 15, 2007, 04:09:42 AM »

Thank you for the suggestions. The stake rope thing sounds like a fantastic idea! Esther, would you have a photo of this? I know we'll keep a close eye on the little one but it's just one more step in safety.
Thanks Again
Pam

Eluned · « **Reply #4 on:** February 15, 2007, 07:55:37 AM »

Go with something like a three-foot high fence made of black deer netting and firmly anchored rebar poles. Children move quickly and grow quickly. A loose rope barrier will encourage play, and won't keep a toddler out of the pond. Also - NEVER leave the child unsupervised. Always know who is watching him/her. (Congratulations - BTW)

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** February 15, 2007, 09:20:48 AM »

I think the key to children safety is having a fenced yard and adult supervision. Bonnie also started a safety thread here: http://www.americanponders.com/forum/index.php?topic=1542.0

Esther · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2007, 10:46:01 AM »

Here's last summer. Remember, I called this a deterrent, not failsafe. By the way, I think I cut the spindles in half. It would at least slow a kid down a bit who was headed for the water. In this picture I don't think I had added the piece that goes across the path/step area by the Skippy.

Here is the little pond on the other side of the boardwalk where the mini lilies are. DH used tapcons or a ram set to attach posts to the cement sidewalk and then attached posts to the boardwalk across from the bigger pond. Then I ran more rope through the posts. Smokey kept trying to get at the frogs that would sit on the lily pads so I eventually added a lower row of rope to keep him away from the frogs. I didn't take that one down in the fall. About half of the larger pond doesn't have anything deterring anyone from falling in unfortunately.

The spindles are sold at any place that sells deck supplies and the spindles I used were just treated 2 x 2"s.

Pam B · « **Reply #7 on:** February 15, 2007, 05:56:39 PM »

Esther, Thank you, Thank you!!!! Yes, that is exactly what I'm looking for. As a grandmother my family would NEVER leave a toddler outdoors with out close adult supervision. I live in a suburb of Detroit. We have a small fenced yard. Safety is ALWAYS our first concern. Esther, your suggestion is just what my mind ordered.
Thank You again,
Pam

Esther · « **Reply #8 on:** February 15, 2007, 06:02:29 PM »

I have seen a similar type of fence that had the pond lighting installed on top of the fence posts. I had thought of routering out a slot up the post and running the wire up it and attaching the lights to the top. If I did that, the posts would have to be more permanent so I can't decide.

Pam B · « **Reply #9 on:** February 15, 2007, 06:28:21 PM »

What a wonderful idea. The fencing really does look great and the lights would add even more. I already saved your pics for my spring project (well, with a lot of help from my husband).
Pam

barb · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2007, 09:07:24 AM »

Esther, what a gorgeous pond! I might consider doing that fence for my 3 year old, although the ground slopes by the pond. Of course I never leave him outside unattended anyway, but a barrier is still needed because he loves to stand at the edge of the pond and look in. Right now I just have a metal 2' fence around it.

Btw, what are those blue spire plants? Is that Ajuga? It's beautiful!

Here's the fence I have, and my pond is new, I just dug it last spring. I replaced a lot of those big rocks, too:

CT · « **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2007, 11:04:39 AM »

Nice barrier Barb. It blends well. Love the new pond..well done!

Esther · « **Reply #12 on:** February 16, 2007, 01:32:45 PM »

Thanks. Yes it is Ajuga. The blue flowers are kinda a cornflower blue but the foliage is more dark green/marooney. It loves it's home by the pond. It could almost be considered invasive. Some of the clumps crept out onto a rock in the pond and put it's roots down and lived there on top of the rock.

Pam B · « **Reply #13 on:** February 16, 2007, 03:03:24 PM »

Barb and Esther, your pond pics are gorgeous! It sure has us yearning for spring. I'll have to keep Ajuga in mind for spring planting. Are they perenials?
Barb what are those bright pink flowers in the background of your pond?
Pam

barb · « **Reply #14 on:** February 16, 2007, 04:05:56 PM »

Thank you!

I do have Ajuga, and I have found mine to be very invasive. It's even sprouted up in the lawn all over the place, I can't get rid of it. It's so, so pretty when it's blooming, but after 10 plus years it's taking over here. Still, it's so pretty when it's blooming, I forgive it! It's found the perfect spot next to Esther's pond.

Pam, that's a Rhodendron you see back there in the corner. It's an evergreen shrub, that grows in both sun and shade. It's very common up here in the Northeast, and blooms each spring. That is one of my favorite colors, they come in just about every color imaginable. They can get enormous, but do well with being cut-back if it gets too large. They are just so adaptable to so many conditions, I really love them.

Esther · « **Reply #15 on:** February 16, 2007, 04:08:45 PM »

Pam, yeah, they come up whether you want them to or not. LOL. Give me a PM in the spring and I'll send ya some. They multiply like rabbits. Actually they send out little runners with the new plants. The only thing about them I don't like is that I have to cut off the flower stalks or they look cruddy after while. The flowers do stay for quite a while. They blossom quite early in the summer. You can see that there is hardly any lily pads on the surface of the pond. The first year they don't do so great but after that they will take off.

Is that pink flowering bush a Rhododendron?

Joyce · « **Reply #16 on:** February 16, 2007, 04:23:08 PM »

I have to say this, no fence I have seen here would keep out an average toddler.
Especially my child. (she is now 11, and still a brute when she wants to get at something)
A little wire fence like that, she'd just rip out and toss to the side and then jump in the pond.
(yes, I am talking when she was a toddler, not now)

And no matter how closely you supervise a child, it only takes a SECOND for them to get in trouble.

What worked for Jamie, was discipline.
She absolutely was not allowed near the pond without an adult with her.
She would get spanked if she was found within 10 feet of the pond without a parent.
She learned quick. And I don't care if you don't condone spankings...it is what taught my daughter to stay away from the pond, what possibly saved her life by teaching her to stay away from the pond.

If anything, the fences I see here would only trip up a child, causing them to fall or tip over headfirst into the pond, causing a worse injury than if the fence wasn't there. I would prefer a fence that was taller than the child, and completely stable...where the child could not push it over or pull it up, yet alone trip or fall or tip over it into the pond head first.

Sure it may look ugly to completely fence in a pond,
but your childs safety is worth a little ugliness.
If it doesn't seem worth it to you, you should either not have a pond, or not have a child.
Another alternative is to put a life jacket or some other form of safety floatation gear on your child when he/she is near the pond, just like you would if you had a swimming pool. (we did this with Jamie too)

I don't mean to sound harsh or mean, just trying to prevent an injury, or death.
And those fences shown here are definitely NOT child proof.

Better to be safe than sorry.

andrew davis · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2007, 10:03:21 PM »

>>What can I use to protect FAST little feet from going into the pond? Any suggestions on what type of decorative fencing is out there?

Planting a buffer plant zone, of about one childs tripping and falling distance, all round the pond would work.

Slightly abrasive plants like horizontal spreading conifers, itchy scratchy pampas grass, the sort of buffer zone which looks like a barrier, has the touch and feel of something you would not want to fall into or crawl through... Heapings and lashings of mulch, so there is a clear distinction between grass for walking on, and heavily planted mound of soft ground that trotting feet can feel is a barrier...

Most accidents at a pond involve folk falling and hitting their heads on hard objects, removing rocks, hard objects, reducing access areas to the pond is common sense....

For a small pond, it might be practical to place a grid over the entire pond though that may be overkill in many situations

Regards, andy
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/adavisus/

Esther · « **Reply #18 on:** February 18, 2007, 11:02:39 AM »

My fence was not intended to totally block anybody or anything out of my pond. It was not installed as a safety measure. It's intent was to deter as I stated. DETERRANT—Synonyms, restraint, curb, check, hindrance.
Hopefully it would slow somebody down or make it difficult for them to go there and let them know there is a reason not to go there between the plantings and the ropes. It was installed after a visit from the heron. But I don't think it worked. I still put it up because I like the look. It is decorative mostly.

We have grandbabies and visitors with small children. One child did fall in the pond, off the boardwalk. She was trying to walk between her daddy and the edge and made a misstep. Sure surprised her. But we were all right there and her daddy grabbed her before she even got all wet. My grandkids play at the pond sides all the time. They pretend they are fishing. They try to catch the frogs. Last spring we caught tadpoles off the pool cover and then put them in the pond. And they of course love to feed the fishies. By the way, my grandkids are around the pool all the time too (inside the fence). I raised two kids, one was 2 1/2 and the other was born while we lived here, and we had an inground pool all the time. There were always kids in the neighborhood swimming here. Maybe we were lucky but like Joyce said, you train them when they are young to stay away from danger. In fact I believe we as parents need to teach our children way younger than most of us did. But we didn't rely on the training totally either. We were and are vigilant to not allow them out of our sight when we were near the water.

But stupid things do happen. One time we were all out by the pool and my youngest went in the house to potty. The next thing I knew he was coming down the walk carrying an apple and a paring knife. I'm guessing he might have been 4 or so. He's 28 now. The apple was all hacked up and as I shreiked and ran to grab the knife away from him he looked up and innocently said, "I peel the apple." He had pushed a chair over to the counter and climbed up to get the apple. Then he must have decided as long as he was there he might as well get a knife.

Pam B · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2007, 04:47:54 PM »

Again, I know this is not to keep a child "OUT" of the pond. When my childern were young (thru their adult hood) we had a pool. Yes, I do know to teach pond safety. It's just there for a small reminder. I showed my husband a picture and he is already planning his design. He already stated he wants to cement the poles intothe ground do to our sandy soil.

Esther, Thanks for the offer of sending me some Ajuga. They really are lovley. How do you ship something like that. I have some pond plants that I would love to give away. I don't know the names of any of then. I'll have to investigate the pond exchange forum.
Thanks again for all of your input
Pam

milliemax · « **Reply #20 on:** February 18, 2007, 06:21:56 PM »

Having been a Water Safety Instructor for many years, I would treat the pond the same as having a pool!

A child can drown in as little as an inch of water!
I have heard stories of someone just going to the bathroom (2 min) only to find a little one face down and not breathing!
I think ponds should be fenced as if they are swiming pools with locked gates and fences that are to code for swimming pools.
Spanking and "teaching them" not to go near the pond will NOT work! They are curious and will gravitate to the water.
All children should also be taught to swim and all water safety rules at EVERY age, especially if they are going to be around ANY type of water!
Sorry to be so inflexible, but those wimpy little fences scared me! No toddler I know would be slowed down by them! Nancy

Esther · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2007, 07:47:53 PM »

Plants ship easily when they are wrapped in wet/damp paper towels and then encased in a couple of plastic bags that are tightly tied shut. I mark the boxes with "live plants" hoping the delivery person will not leave the box on the porch in the sun on a hot day. I knock the soil off the roots to some extent so they aren't so heavy to ship. I use the priority mail boxes from the post office.

I have received several shipments of various pond plants the last few years that were wrapped as described and they all have survived.

Mikey · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2007, 08:03:06 PM »

Quote

Having been a Water Safety Instructor for many years, I would treat the pond the same as having a pool!

I agree completely! And this is why when I built my pond I pulled a permit and the building code required that I pull a pool permit and the pool permit mandated numerous safety features that WILL save the precious life of a little one. But even with those requirements, due diligence is still required by parents. Some people avoid pulling permits because they have heard stories from someone who knew someone who had a bad experience. My personal experience with the building inspectors was quite positive. In my city, inspectors tend to cut home owner DYIs more slack then they will a contractor.