Uncovered a pond - what now?

[mrose]

So today I shifted a pallet and some tarp on the overgrown bit of my plot, and I discovered this pond hiding underneath. It doesn't appear to be lined, and it's currently a bit smelly.

My first impulse was to fill it in, but someone put effort into digging it and I can imagine a wildlife pond being really nice (though perhaps not essential as a small stream runs around the edge of the allotment site).

Does anyone have any advice on how to rescue it?

[Bigmallly]

Unless you want to go to the trouble of bailing it out & lining it or sinking a container in the hole, I'd fill it in. You could always have a section for boggy plants.

[lottie dolly]

How wide/deep is it,the smell is most likely decaying matter in the water,so might be harmful to any wild life as it is,I stand to be corrected if am wrong,so i agree with BM,

[mrose]

Thanks both. I'm not sure exactly how deep it is, but not very - I could easily reach the bottom when I very scientifically poked it with a stick.

[Nicos]

I'd be tempted to keep it to encourage the wildlife.
....but you do need to be very safety aware about having an open area of water on an allotment....yep..a hedgehog/frog might drown in it if there isn't a ramp for it to use to climb out , but so too might a small child if their parents aren't supervising them closely enough.

[Alison]

Depends on a number of things, is it in the way? Will it stay a pond in summer or is it just boggy ground? If it's not very deep it is likely it will freeze solid in winter which obviously doesn't bode well for any wildlife you want to attract. A friend of mine created a pond on our site which is brilliant, loads of frogs which decimate the slugs and it takes very little work. I wouldn't want to be without it. It is quite deep in the middle though, and lined. It also has shelves built in and a very shallow slope on one side which allows wildlife to get in and out.

I'm far less concerned about children, it's on a fenced off plot and if they're not old enough to understand the danger of water I wouldn't let them on the plot unescorted. I know people don't necessarily agree but I firmly believe that kids need to be exposed to a full range of situations, if they are constantly kept at a distance then they won't develop a sense of responsibility. As kids we spent most of the summer playing in my grandparents' garden. They had an uncovered pond and greenhouse (unlikely to be toughened glass back then either) and we were taught from a very early age to respect the dangers they posed and when we could be trusted to be responsible we were allowed free range. If we'd always been kept wrapped in cotton wool we'd not have understood any dangers when we did chance upon something.

[Nicos]

Very true Alison... But people didn't sue back then like they do now.
That 'old' attitude seems to prevail around here as there seems to be much more of 'accidents happen...you should have been more careful' approach than suing.
It does take a bit of getting used to I must say!...

[dogsbody]

I'd be tempted to give it a go. If you have a net around try removing most of the smelly stuff (leaving it on the side so any wildlife can get back in the water). You may find by doing that and leaving it uncovered will allow it to rebalance Then see if the frogs arrive in a month or two.

Re safety - you are the best judge of that.

[ancee]

Thanks both. I'm not sure exactly how deep it is, but not very - I could easily reach the bottom when I very scientifically poked it with a stick.

Hahaha. That's the kind of scientific I am!

[Gillykat]

To be honest it looks quite small and someone would have to do a headstand to drown in it

I was thinking about building a medium-sized wildlife pond on my allotment this year. My plot is surrounded by a very prickly tall hawthorn hedge one side and high mesh & barbed wire fence bordering neighbour's plot so no way could children accidentally wander onto my patch. And believe you me...if any young vandals broke into my plot then drowning would be the LEAST of their worries!!!

[mrose]

Decided to fill it in - chucked a load of sod in the other day. It was pretty awkwardly placed. Luckily, there are lots of wildlife habitats on the site (including a stream and possibly a communal pond soon), so I don't feel too bad.