As urban and suburban development increased across the country, it quickly became apparent that developed land didn’t handle rains and floods as well as undeveloped land. Even with something as essential as rainwater, too much of a good thing was potentially damaging.
The solution introduced was a retention pond, a body of water designed to collect storm water runoff efficiently during the storm and release that excess water slowly within the next 24 hours or so. Today, it’s rare to find a new housing development without a retention pond or two.
There are basically 3 types of retention ponds:
1. Excavated ponds . These are constructed as you would expect; a back hoe or bulldozer digs a hole for the pond. This type of retention pond is limited to flat areas, and they’re usually located near a natural drainage way.
2. Embankment ponds. As the name suggests, an embankment is built across the drainage way. The advantage of this type is that it can be built on nearly every type of terrain.
3. Combination ponds. This type of pond combines the two type, and builders excavate a hole upstream from the new embankment.
As you can imagine, there’s more to pond construction than bulldozing an area. For instance, soil needs the right amount of clay if it’s going to retain water for your pond. So the soil needs to be analyzed. Factors like depth, location and water shed (the water expected to drain in to your pond) need to be looked at closely.
This task is one that we at Jimmy Lewis and Sons do well. Ponds of any shape and size – to combine functionality and beauty — can be custom designed and constructed for your property.
For over 40 years Jimmy Lewis and Sons has been helping contractors in the Triangle area with all of their excavating and septic system needs. Our expertise and dedication to customer satisfaction has earned us the reputation for quality and excellence. From large commercial projects to smaller residential jobs, your project will be in good hands – from the ground up.
