Updated December, 2007
If you are an ornamental pond owner in North Georgia or in a neighboring area experiencing emergency water shortages you should read this article.
First of all, let me make it very clear that we ARE NOT the authorities of when and where you can use water during this time of drought. That is the job of your water authority!
This article was originally written in July of 2000 when we began getting concerned about our water supplies here in the southeast and water restrictions were implemented. As you all know, everything has changed and guidelines are now mandates. No longer are we given the luxury of watering our lawns or filling pools and ponds on ANY day of the week. We are in an emergency situation and many counties are literally running out of water. In Dahlonega, where the Doc and I live, our reservoir is so low that grasses are growing in places in the middle of it. We rode through areas recently that made us sick. Boat ramps lay several hundred yards from the water line. What used to be rivers are trickles and our beautiful Amicalola Falls (in Dawsonville) is a mere shadow of it's former glory.
Don't think that just because you are on a well that you are immune to the drought. I know several people who are down to dangerously low levels in their wells. The petting zoo in Dahlonega is on a well and is totally out of water. People have been sending water to them so the animals will have something to drink!
Since 2000 we have never been totally free of water restrictions and the general rule up until now was that we could fill or top off our ponds on the days that we could water the lawn. Now we cannot water our lawns so where does that leave the pond owner who has fish to take care of?
We have spoken to several people about this and (thanks to one of our customers) we've found the latest rules for water usage in our area. The facts are we cannot fill any new pond with a "first fill". The only time water usage for a pond MAY be acceptable is when the lives of the animals are at stake. CHECK WITH YOUR WATER SOURCE (City Hall or your County perhaps) for their interpretation of the restrictions.
If an animal’s welfare is at risk (as in the case of needing an emergency water change because the ammonia is at a dangerous level) everyone I spoke with agreed that this would be a special circumstance. No written information is available since this type of circumstance generally has not been addressed by those who mandate the restrictions. Special allowances can be made but it must be okayed through the water authority. Get an okay in writing if possible. One of our customers recently was given a warning for simply topping off his pond after backwashing his filter!
If you do NOT have fish in your pond (or fountain)...
It is our understanding that the State of Georgia has mandated that all fountains and other water features that do not support fish life be turned off. Do NOT run the waterfall on your pond if you do NOT have fish in it! Do NOT run a fountain or other ornamental water feature if it is not supporting fish life From what I understand, this is in effect for the northern counties of Georgia and the southern counties may be under a different mandate at this time. Again, you may want to check with your local water authority and, if they are unable to provide the State mandates to you, check with the State.
As professionals in the field of fish health we can give you a list of circumstances when IN OUR OPINION we feel water changes may be necessary in order to save the lives of fish: Let me make this clear: This is NOT a list of times when you have "permission" to use water for your pond. It is only a list of times WE FEEL fish lives are in jeopardy.
The pond is experiencing a major fish kill (which means more than one fish is currently dying by the hour and others displaying lack of oxygen behavior such as gulping the surface or hanging at the water return) and there is no known explanation.
The ammonia level of the water is 2 ppm or higher.
When there is a nitrite reading of over 2 ppm (not nitrate).
The pond is experiencing a pH crash of pH readings less than 6.4
There is oil on the surface of the water.
WAYS TO SAVE WATER
There are things that you can do (even during times of fish health emergencies) to avoid water changes and use less water when caring for the fish in your pond. Here are some things that you can do to save water:
Use a BLOWER on your bead filter. This will jostle the beads (or other filter material) around and dislodge the debris so that it can be easily flushed out with minimum use of water. In effect what you are doing is using air instead of water to clean the filter.
Do not top off your pond after backwashing until it is absolutely necessary for the health of the fish.
If having a problem with ammonia building up in the water we would normally instruct you to do an immediate water change. Instead, use Ultimate Water Conditioner. This will detoxify the ammonia to a certain point to prevent water changes. Make sure you test the water with a PondCare Ammonia Test Kit so that you will know when the Ultimate is no longer able to detoxify the water and a water change is absolutely necessary. PondCare test kits are one of a few that will give an accurate reading when Ultimate is used.
If the pH is off, use pH UP or pH Down to get it into an acceptable level then use pH Stabilizer to secure it so that it does not fluctuate.
Landscapers "may" be exempt from some of the water restrictions but it's unclear if they are able to use water for an ornamental pond. I tend to doubt it since there is no first filling allowed. Again -- check with your local officials before having a professional build a pond.
Do NOT leave your hose in the pond, even if it is not running. I was shocked myself to learn that during times when the water table is as low as it is now here in Georgia a siphoning effect can (and does) occur. The water from your pond can be literally sucked back into your home’s drinking water supply! Gwinnett County received a call from a woman who asked if they had added a blue dye to the drinking water—which, of course, they hadn’t. The woman had added blue dye to her pond and left her hose lying in the water. We urge you to install an anti-siphon device on your outside faucet that will prevent this from happening. These devices are readily available at your nearest hardware store.
Cutting our water consumption in half...
We cut our water usage in half last month and we are giving ourselves a pat on the back! It is true that every little bit really, really does help. Although we adjust a few of our habits, being water conservative did not change the quality of our lives at all. Here's a list of things we did to cut those gallons:
Our toilets are not water savers so we placed a brick in each of the tanks to displace some of the water.
We flush only when necessary and do not dispose of hair or tissue by flushing.
We fill up our dishwasher before running it. We also use paper plates and cups.
We run two dehumidifiers and use the water that it pulls out of the air to fill our aquariums and water our potted herbs.
Our shower has two heads. We use only one when taking a shower and we shower quickly.
We turn on and off the water when washing our hands, brushing our teeth, etc., instead of leaving it running until we're finished.
We basically pay attention now and don't allow ourselves to waste water!
Here are some county phone numbers in case you have a life-threatening water emergency:
Barrow Water Authority 770-307-3014
Cherokee Gen. Info 770-479-1953
Clayton Water Dept. 770-961-2130
Cobb Water Dept. 770-423-1000
Dekalb Water & Sewage 404-378-4475
Douglas Water Authority 770-949-7617
Fayette Public Works 770-461-3142
Forsyth Water Dept. 770-781-2160
Fulton Public Works 404-730-7424
Gwinnett Mr. Spivey 770-932-4420
Rockdale Water Dept. 770-918-6512
From The
Water Garden Edition of What's Up, Doc?, July 2000
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