definition

A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or artificial, that is usually smaller than a lake. They may arise naturally in floodplains as part of a river system, or they may be somewhat isolated depressions
(Wikipedia, Pond, accessed on Sept. 2015). There are two types of ponds : detention ponds (dry ponds) or retention ponds (wet ponds)
(Laramie County Conservation District, 2016). Detention ponds are a very common measure for flood mitigation as they are designed to detain the excessive runoff and then drain it completely after the end of the rainfall event. Basically, they are dry during the dry weather periods and wet during the wet weather periods. Their purpose is to detain excess flows which are exceeding the channel capacity (Vojinovic Z., Abbott M., 2012, p.466). Retention ponds are also commonly used for flood mitigation. As differentiated from detention ponds, retention ponds are designed to retain the water permanently. Excessive runoff is captured by these ponds and some portion is drained out after the end of the rainfall event. The water in these ponds is displaced and replaced in part by the stormwater ( Vojinovic Z., 2015, p.102).

Co-benefits and impacts

Ponds, apart from assisting in storage rainfall runoff, they are an efficient and cost-effective land drainage system as fewer and smaller pipes can be used to carry runoff to the rivers. Additionally, environmental benefits are gained by acting as a natural filter for sediments and chemicals.
(Winnipeg, Retention ponds, accessed on Sept. 2016)

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Last modified: Sept. 15, 2016, 4:46 a.m.