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Ponditat™ 2010! This was the 5th annual Ponditat™ For Humanity event for the IPPCA, as the “Top Guns” converged at the New Covenant Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the heat was on! This year had to be one of the hottest event ever with heat indexes in the 105 to 110 range! The Top Guns lost water weight but never enthusiasm for this project.

It began like every Ponditat™ For Humanity. As the Top Guns arrived the “game plan” unfolds, work begins and the transformation begins. It ended like every Ponditat™ before, the pond owners were Wowed! This year we had a couple of special “firsts” for the event; all the IPPCA members that attended are IPPCA Certified Professional Pond Contractors (CPPCs), and we incorporated a mentoring aspect for aspiring young pond builders.

This year we were treated to a spectacular light show courtesy of Easy Pro Pond Products that supplied the LED light rings and pond lights that were used on the fountains and falls. See the night shots of the fountains @ our Ponditat link @IPPCA.com. Thank you, Dave Ouwinga, Rick Smith and crew at Easy Pro Pond Products who also sponsored this years event T-shirts.

The two ShinMaywa pumps were just the right match for the bog/waterfall and fountains, so a big thank you to Court Winegar, Art Hantlaand crew at Fielding Pump. A special thank you to John Olson of Graystone Industries and another to Firestone SP for their gracious contributions as well.

Over the years its’ always been a pleasure to meet the recipients of the Ponditat™ For Humanity “overhaul”. They are always duly impressed with the amount of talent that shows up to work on their pond. But there are all the local supporters that help make these events happen. We were treated to a wonderful caterer, Kristi Wurst, of the Engine House Café in the Havelock section of Lincoln! I know it will be a temptation to return again and again to her restaurant, living in the same town with a woman that is this talented with food!

Lincoln Landscaping, one of the Pond Dragon’s suppliers, donated the rock needed to build and beautify this entry pond/fountain. The mulch was even added to the delivery list for that finishing touch to the project! A big thanks to them for their generous contribution to this year’s success.

But as the sunset on the 5th annual Ponditat and the lights of the pond and fountain draw us in, let us not forget why the IPPCA and the Top Guns make these annual trips…to address professionalism and technical issues of pond building that plague this great industry.

Rocke' Huntington
IPPCA President
aka The Pond Dragon

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His outdoor seasons are shorter than average, but that doesn't stop Kevin from getting things done during prime time. He has been in the landscape industry for over 15 years. Kevin expanded into installing water features 9 years ago. For the past 6 years he has been strictly installing and selling water gardens. Kevin has evolved in the pond business from installations as a contractor, to retail and wholesale sales, educating contractors, dealers and the do it yourselfers and continuing with quality installations. The growing success of Kevin's company is due to quality products, industry knowledge and experience. Better representation and education of quality products and techniques will make the water gardening world rewarding for everyone.

Danner Mfg., Inc. has been specializing in the design of pond and aquarium products for over 70 years strong. As leaders in this Lawn and Garden Industry we are continually striving to produce quality, ground breaking pond and aquarium merchandise offered at very competitive pricing. To date Danner Mfg., Inc. carries over 300 items in their extensive product line. Merchandise includes ProLine waterfall and skimmer pumps, external pumps, hy-drive pumps, air pumps, biological filters, pond liners and underlayment, netting, tubing, fittings, ultraviolet sterilizers, lighting accessories, deicers, fish nets, fountain heads, fish food, water treatments, etc.

Pondmaster is one of the most respected names in the watergarden industry-preferred by professionals alike. We have reengineered pond installation kits, pumps, filtration units, skimmers and more for the ease of assembly, installation and care. Danner Mfg\'s technology is moving forward aggressively to accommodate the needs in making pond construction projects less time consuming, more energy efficient, less maintenance and trouble free.

Brand names to look for are ProLine, Pondmaster, Magnetic-Drive, Supreme, Cover Care, Pool Care, Skilter, Aquamaster, Aquaking, Superking, Heetmaster, Dynamaster, Ovation, Challenge, Mainstream, Mystical, and Hampton Water Gardens.

An East Coast Pond, Irrigation, Lighting and Landscape supplier.

Press release: Immediate July 2, 2010
IPPCA Headquarters
Woodstock, GA. 30188
770-592-9790 www.IPPCA.com

Ponditat™ 2010, June 24-26th! This was the 5th annual Ponditat For Humanity™ event for the International Professional Pond Contractors Association (IPPCA). The “Top Guns” converged at the New Covenant Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the heat was on! This year had to be one of the hottest events ever with heat indexes in the 105 to 110 range! The Top Guns lost water weight but never enthusiasm for this project.

It began like every Ponditat For Humanity™. As the Top Guns arrived the “game plan” unfolds, work begins and the transformation begins. It ended like every Ponditat™ before, the pond owners were Wowed! This year we had a couple of special “firsts” for the event; all of the IPPCA members that attended were IPPCA Certified Professional Pond Contractors (CPPCs), and we incorporated a mentoring aspect for aspiring young pond builders.

Going Green: The existing problem pond had been kept somewhat under control with weekly shock treatments of chlorine and was kept sterile. There were several low liner areas leaking that needed attention as well as up-grading hardware and resealing to both skimmers whose aluminum bolts had disappeared from electrolysis corrosion. The newly renovated system uses 1/3 less electricity on the fountain jets and will be chemical free, naturally filtered and kept clear by an up-flow bog filter system, completing the “Green Transformation” of this year’s Ponditat™ pond.

The newly renovated pond will also be added to the growing number of International Pond and Water Garden Society (IPaWGS) Certified Wildlife Ponditats™. By going “green”, the pond now has become a haven for local birds and wildlife, that within just hours of completion were seen visiting in ever growing numbers. Several congregation members commented that this had not been the case while it was full of chemicals and they were excited about the transformation.

This year we were also treated to a spectacular light show courtesy of Easy Pro Pond Products that supplied the LED light rings and pond lights that were used on the fountains and falls. See the night shots of the fountains at our Ponditat link at www.IPPCA.com . Thank you, Dave Ouwinga, Rick Smith and crew at Easy Pro Pond Products who also sponsored this years event T-shirts.

The two ShinMaywa pumps were just the right match for the bog/waterfall and fountains, so a big thank you to Court, Art and crew at Fielding Pump. A special thank you to John Olson of Graystone Creations and another to Firestone SP for their gracious contributions as well.

Over the years its’ always been a pleasure to meet the recipients of the Ponditat For Humanity “overhaul”. They are always duly impressed with the amount of talent that shows up to work on their pond. But there are all the local supporters that help make these events special. We were treated to a wonderful caterer, Kristi, of the Engine House Café in the Havelock section of Lincoln! Danny Keelan, a local pond hobbyist and congregational member, was also lavish with his support and energy.

Lincoln Landscaping, one of Lincoln’s landscape suppliers, donated the rock needed to build and beautify this entry pond/fountain. The mulch was even added to the delivery list for that finishing touch to the project! A big thank you to them for their generous contribution to this year’s success.

But as the sun set on the 5th annual Ponditat™ and the lights of the pond and fountain draw us in, let us not forget why the IPPCA and the Top Guns make these annual trips…to address a lack of professionalism and faulty technical issues of pond building that plague this great industry.

For more information see: www.PonditatForHumanity.com 2010 Lincoln, NE.

           

More photos at Ponditat™ for Humanity Photo Gallery

2010 marks EasyPro's 40th year in business! Steve and LeAnn Ouwinga, started Stoney Creek Fisheries in 1970, the company has evolved into more than they imagined since then. When their son, David Ouwinga, joined the company his passion for the equipment side of the business led to the development of EasyPro Pond Products. EasyPro has become one of the leading manufacturers of watergardening, water feature and large pond management equipment in North America. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this family run company an open house will be held Thursday, July 22nd & Friday, July 23rd, 2010. There will be nearly $29,000 in door prizes and giveaways. Guests can meet the EasyPro team, manufacturer's reps and fellow pond enthusiasts from around North America! Free seminars on pond design and construction; liner installation; water treatments; weed and algae control in earthen ponds; aeration system design and installation; and many more will be presented. Additional information on seminars, hotel information, RSVP's, door prizes and much more can be found at www.easypropondproducts.com/form/2010openhouse.htm.

Monsoon Season, Drainage, Rainwater and Flood Abatement
When it's “monsoon season” and we get a “month's worth of rain” in one afternoon, we get localized flooding, and perhaps erosion, landslides, damaged landscaping and wet basements. When the “500 year” event happens for the second or third time in your lifetime, it gets your attention!

Inevitably, you call for help. Maybe it's the insurance company, maybe extended family, maybe 911, or perhaps some contractors to get estimates on fixing the problems.



Prevention and remediation so there is not a “next time” in the same situation is a sensibile course of action as one deals with disasters—both great and small.

Months of above normal precipitation certainly can reveal problems with a home and it's surrounding environs.

Let's look at dealing with excess moisture from a landscape contractor's perspective. Those calls from homeowners increase with the extra moisture. Finding solutions can be costly and time consuming. Yet, to try and avoid corrective action and hope it does not happen again is to gamble with your biggest asset, your home.

To describe some problems and try to advise in general on them, I'll pick some issues I've had to deal with or some inquiries or conversations I've heard about. Then, I'll give a simple or cursory response to each.

How do you deal with it if your basement has gotten wet? (I'll assume you didn't leave the door open!)

Well, this is not one of the areas of my expertise. But, I would suppose sump pumps and dehumidifiers would come into play. Plus a call to a builders association or a company with a guarantee to “make it like it never even happened”.

I would consider looking at issues like; a) Is the house built on a flood plain? b) Does the ground slope towards the home or away from it?

Problem “a” might be someone's fault that you could consult counsel to help make it whole. Certainly a “spec” home on a known flood plain that is up for sale by a builder, who never bothered to disclose this to a buyer, is reasonably a situation one might have legal recourse against..

Problem “b” might be covered by a warranty. But, if not, you probably need to look at solutions yourself.

Things like changing the slope of the yard, installing drain lines and collection grates, putting up walls or berms or building swales to keep out flowing storm runoff.

One more comment on “whose at fault” before I move on. Sometimes a few inches of rain (not a record amount) causes problems never seen before. In such cases, look for contributing causes. Maybe there's a new shopping center or a new subdivision that wasn't nearby the last time there was a heavy rain? Has a forest fire or a logging operation upstream reduced the normal groundcover that would slow water runoff? You can use your imagination as to what else may have happened to change the lay of the land over time and cause flooding where none previously would have been expected.

OK. So, you have water problems. If they are minor and not likely to be repeated for many years, you might just forget about it and life goes on.

However, if it's serious enough to cause an emergency response or serious long-term damage to your home,(again, most people's biggest investment), you should plan to learn what needs to be done and find ways to "get 'er done”!

I've seen fill dirt settle around a new home and create a low spot right at the foundation. Adding soil and replanting or sodding may be all that is needed.

No guttering, or improper guttering (or clogged gutters that have been neglected) can result in water issues.

When the ground slopes substantially and the house is situated so it's foundation is higher than the surrounding yard or driveways and other hardscaping, a lot of potential issues with water are avoided. Prevention is far better than a cure. Sometimes you find it's too late to prevent, and have to find solutions.

If your home has been flooded, if your yard has ponding, if your trees drown and die, if your pool or pond get mud in them when it rains, then it's best to find a solution to the cause of the problem before the next major rain event even occurs.

Sometimes adding dirt can divert water from your living area. Berms to block and swales to carry water away may be something to consider. One possible solution I recommend is removing sod and creating an exaggerated low spot, and putting in a drain line and collection grate to collect and channel away excess water. (Then replace the sod.)

If there is no place to divert water too, then a “dry well” or a retention pond may need to be installed.

Retaining walls near property lines to block the runoff from the yard above yours are among other possibilites to consider.

More in-depth discussions and advice can be obtained from knowledgable professionals, sometimes from university extension offices or city or county officials. We have only scratched the surface in identifying problems caused by excess water and possible solutions that might work.

Proper drainage, prevention, turning a problem into an asset (lemons into lemonade) and rehabilitation after an event are possible avenues you may choose to make your home more safe and secure, as well as a beautiful and satisfying place to live. -0-

Max Phelps
Rock Castle Landscapes