Do you know how detention and retention ponds work to keep natural water sources clean?
A huge summer thunderstorm, a massive winter snowstorm, and a gusty fall hurricane all have one thing in common—water. When the water falls on your neighborhood, it needs somewhere to go to prevent it from invading your home and ruining your landscaping. Properly handling stormwater can mean the difference between easy drainage and millions of dollars in pricey repairs to reverse the effects of erosion or flooding. How exactly do detention and retention ponds work?
What’s the Difference?
The core difference between a detention pond and retention pond is whether or not there is a permanent body of water like a pond in the area. Detention ponds are dry and have an orifice level at the bottom. A retention pond has a riser and an orifice located at a higher point, so it will always maintain a certain level of water.
Detention Ponds
Detention ponds are frequently used in places with at least 10 acres of land to work with. They use a slight slope to help divert water into the drainage system and can hold a lot of water in the basin area. Once the water is in the detention pond, it slowly drains out through the bottom of the structure. Depending on your unique needs, you can add in concrete blocks or other structures to help slow the flow of water into the detention pond and filter out excess debris. Detention ponds typically cost less to implement, but they can become breeding grounds for mosquitos or detract from your property value.
Retention Ponds
Retention ponds are a great way to retain stormwater and treat it, thereby controlling the quantity and quality within it. Retention ponds are typically installed in areas with natural vegetation surrounding them and filled through underground pipes that join the storm drains to the pond. Retention ponds are specifically designed to accommodate a large amount of water at once and then let it out steadily into outlets. Retention ponds are great because they can improve water quality and create new habitats but they can be a drowning or mosquito hazard.
Detention or Retention Ponds from Reliable Contracting
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