Ducks on sewer pond?

[Kevin565]

How's the aquatic life on the pond? Any small amphibians? Is there some aquatic plants on the pond?

 

[HEChicken]

Good question! Yes, we hear frogs on it a lot. There is a lot of green growth on top right now. To be honest I haven't investigated that closely to identify it.

 

[Kevin565]

Amphibians is a good sign for a healthy pond environment especially if they are reproducing. If it has stable plant life and appears to have other creatures on it I defiantly think it could be a possibility to use.

 

[70%cocoa]

I just googled sewer ponds and found a helpful FAQ sheet on how they work. http://incolor.inetnebr.com/southwick/faqlagoons.html

I'm now kinda thinking that it is not a good plan for the ducks to be on it, given that untreated sewage goes into it. If it was just water from your shower and bath, then I'd say that the ducks could be on it for sure.

What are the chances of building another pond with lots of plants that is fed by the water from your shower and bath? That kind of water is barely dirty and would be kept clean enough with plenty of reeds and other water plants - especially if the water flowed through the reeds first. You'd need to put large stones or something round the pond banks to stop the ducks eroding it with their dabbling.

 

[HEChicken]

Thanks Kevin!

Regarding building another pond....we actually already have another pond (dam) on the property but it is not fenced and I'm reluctant to fence it because a) it is rather large and it would be a substantial amount of fencing and b) we plan to run livestock in the pasture next year and fencing it off would restrict them from using it as a water supply. And I'm reluctant to put the ducks on it un-fenced because this area abounds in raccoons and coyotes and .... you name it.

The infrastructure is already set up to pump all household waste to the sewer pond so I don't think it would be possible to divert some to one and some to another. Initially I was thinking about what ends up in the pond and thinking "ewwww" but then I realized that ducks swimming on it would be adding their own waste material to it (and of course they do that in any water they're on), and they then drink and bathe in the water they've just pooped in themselves. So that is what got me started in thinking how much worse is it if they are swimming and drinking water containing both their waste and that of another animal? I dunno. There is a part of me that is still grossed out by it but the logical part says maybe its okay to do it. (When they were week-old ducklings, we used to run water in our bathtub for them daily and let them have a little time to splash. Inevitably the first thing they all did when they hit the water was to poop and more often than not, they would then put their bills down and root around in their own "jet stream" to see if there was anything edible there. So clearly they don't think of personal waste in quite the same way we do

).

 

[HEChicken]

I just googled sewer ponds and found a helpful FAQ sheet on how they work. http://incolor.inetnebr.com/southwick/faqlagoons.html

Thank you for that - it was interesting to have the information all spelled out like that. It makes what DH said about keeping the vegetation mowed around the pond, make more sense to me.

 

[70%cocoa]

I think I have actually changed my mind now, LOL. It occured to me that there are sewer ponds not too far from where I live (big ones, run by the government...in Fyshwick!) and they are a haven for bird life. All the birdwatching groups go there to see waterbirds. I've gone there with my parents too. The very first pond is a bit smelly, but the other ponds are all just like lakes, and very clean smelling, and there are heaps of ducks on them.

e.g. pics taken at the sewer ponds in Canberra:
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/grey-teal-anas-gibberifrons/grey-teal-enjoying-sewage-pond
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/sharp-...s-possibly-sub-adult-eclipse-plumage-foraging
and
http://chenghiang.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/birding-in-canberra-fyshwick-sewage-ponds/
and here is a guide to the birds you can see on the ponds:
http://canberrabirds.org.au/PocketGuide/JerrabomberraWetlands.htm

So.....if there seems to be a healthy and non-smelly ecosystem in your pond, then maybe it is actually a good environment for ducks after all.

Does it smell ok to you?

 

[HEChicken]

Oh yes, there is no odor whatsoever! In fact, my current coop is directly in front of the lagoon, so that the south fence of the lagoon is the north fence (shared) of the chicken yard.

I totally forgot about those ponds in Fyshwick. I have a friend who lived in Fyshwick for awhile and I used to drive by there all the time. Funny how even when learning about them here, I still didn't make the connection since they call them something different there, right?

Thanks to both you and Kevin for helping me to think this through!

 

[HEChicken]

Those are some beautiful photos. Thanks for making me homesick....

 

[Kevin565]

Oh it's no problem at all! I love to hear about a good aquatic project. It sounds like you have a nice ecosystem perfect for ducks!