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WaterSense Single-Family New Home Specification

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to announce the release of its WaterSense Single-Family New Home Specification, creating the first national, voluntary specification for water-efficient new homes. “Home builders can now partner with EPA and earn the WaterSense label for their newly built homes, helping to create livable communities and quality homes that are easy to maintain,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “These homes will save homeowners as much as $200 a year on utility bills compared to their current homes.” These homes will feature WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures, ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances (if installed), water-efficient landscaping, and hot water delivery systems that deliver hot water faster, so homeowners don’t waste water—or energy—waiting at the tap. By investing in WaterSense labeled homes, American home buyers can reduce their water usage by more than 10,000 gallons per year—enough to fill a backyard swimming pool—and save enough energy annually to power a television for four years. Designed to complement existing green building programs, WaterSense labeled new homes will be 20 percent more efficient than typical new homes, and must be independently inspected and certified by an EPA licensed certification provider to meet the WaterSense criteria for water efficiency and performance. The roles and responsibilities of all applicable parties are defined in more detail in the final specification. EPA wants to thank the hundreds of partners and stakeholders that helped develop the specification. And now WaterSense looks forward to working with our program partners to spread the word about this exciting new opportunity! Please help us welcome into the WaterSense partnership builders and other organizations that want to bring WaterSense labeled new homes to their communities. To view a message from Pete Silva, Assistant Administrator for Water, about the WaterSense new homes specification, visit the WaterSense web site. Old Wording: Ornamental Water Features 4.1.4 This specification establishes that builders shall not install or facilitate the installation of ornamental water features. Ornamental water features are defined as fountains, ponds, waterfalls, man-made streams and other decorative water related constructions provided solely for aesthetic or beautification purposes. Because these water features serve no functional or practical purpose their water use is not considered efficient. IPPCA's Proposed Wording: Ornamental Water Features 4.1.4 Ornamental Water Features shall meet one or more of the following specifications: 1) Incorporate a closed re-circulation system; 2) Utilize a naturally occurring water source on site, (ie; spring, stream, rainwater); 3) Sustain aquatic life; 4) Support wildlife; 5) Utilize reclaimed water. New Wording: 4.1.5 Ornamental water features – Ornamental water features financed, installed, or sold as upgrades by the homebuilder must recirculate water and serve a beneficial use. Thank you to all for your input. If you would like to get notified of when the next issue of Pond Pulse is ready for your reading enjoyment please register Register Here

Oh! The weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! That’s my version of it any way! In zone 5 in Central America and some unexpected places it’s been snowing, keeps us from being complacent, right? Being herded inside under protest, the weather, gives me an opportunity to ponder the past few years and the history of our great organization. First it is kind of scary how fast time passes, it has been five years since a bunch of pond contractors sat around and breathed life into a idea that a contractor driven organization might be an option for our industry. You say, Shaaz! Bot! What a concept! The concept and ground work for the International Professional Pond Contractors Association was begun. From those meager humble beginnings you have the only trade organization that as our mission statement says, “To protect, promote and advance the waterscape industry.” So five years later what does the International Professional Pond Contractors Association have on its’ resume? What has this group accomplished? The International Professional Pond Contractors Association or IPPCA is a not-for-profit organization that promotes professionalism and integrity in the waterscape industry. What seemed like an easy task has shown itself as multi-faceted sparkly like a diamond. We as a group of what later would become known as the “rock and gravel” school of water features used that as our reference point to build on a knowledge for this industry. This industry is a diverse collection of concepts and products with one common thread. That thread is water. There are water gardens, water features, lily ponds, koi ponds, water parks, waterfalls with ponds attached or without ponds attached, swimming ponds, with combinations across the board. Each of these concepts has its’ own champions and that is wonderful! What IPPCA is striving to do is find common ground for each segment to feel comfortable in their own skin in this industry. I give you that facts are “objective” and “prospective oriented”, that being said, each of the facets of this industry has their quarter. How each group manages their eco-systems, environments, or collection of water is in ways they are comfortable with. An ecosystem by definition as given from the Oxford Dictionary is as follows: n. a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. To that end a living water area, by any of the following names would qualify by the nature of having living fish, plants, and water quality able to sustain that life; water garden, water feature, waterfalls with or without pond attachments, koi pond, backyard fish pond, ornamental pond, garden pond. These “facets” of this industry maybe discussed by degrees of this or that until the ends of time without resolutions, but we must move to other discussions. Ponditat for Humanity a public service event that re-enforces the mission statement of, “Protect, Promote and advance the waterscape industry”. This event now in its fifth year does all three of those things! To qualify for a Ponditat event the nominated pond must meet the following guidelines; it must be failing, it must have been installed professionally, for a complete list please click on the Ponditat button. There are many ponds that could qualify for this event, and the reason we limit this event to one event a year is we are grateful to our sponsors for their support. These events are championed by member contractors of IPPCA and are supported by our sponsor companies. The Ponditat event is attended by member contractors at their own expense with parts, pieces and products supplied by our sponsor companies at their expense. I have to digress at this point; on HGTV there is a show called Holmes on Homes. Mike Holmes gets involved with home projects that have gone terribly wrong, that’s what Ponditat does for the pond owner. We, like Mike Holmes, cannot right all wrongs but we can give hope to pond owners or want to be pond owners that there are contractors that are professionals with commitment to produce a product done right. The IPPCA contractors that “fly” to these Ponditat events are called Top Guns; they are sum of the best pond builders across this country. All are IPPCA members, all have years of experience and jointly they do a heck of a water event. Do you as a member of IPPCA know of a pond that has more issues that a doctor’s office has magazines, click on the Poditat button to see if your choice qualifies? Because the world is a big place, there are concerns around the world about drought and toxic blue green algae. We addressed drought issues with concern toward our industry by doing a water usage study in 2007. The guideline was square foot of surface area of a pond to square foot of turf area, the results were definitive. The study of cross contamination of toxic blue green algae with a casual encounter from public recreational area to backyard pond, the results of this study were published by Irrigation News 2008. If you know a pond owner or are a pond owner that has a back yard habitat where not only the birds and squirrels play but the deer, antelope, wild turkeys, or other types of critters happen. Apply to be a certified backyard pond-habitat or certified ponditat from the International Pond and Water Garden Society. When you become a member of IPaWGS then you are helping to protect your pond hobby. Part of your dues for IPaWGS goes to IPPCA legislative action team to address local changes in laws that affect your back yard hobby and enjoyment. We have come a long way over the last five years and there are still places to go and things to do! There is a world stage to learn from as the IPPCA puts information out to the world, we can all learn for others what a treat! Think of the great things to do in 2-10 and may you and your have a cool Yule and a fantastic first Rocke Huntington President, 2009

I want to thank you again for asking me to participate in the IPPCA InfoTanza conference this past fall, as usual it was educational and provided me with the opportunity to meet pond professional’s from around the country. In this fractionalized pond industry it’s hard to know were to go to meet pond professionals. Do I go to landscape, irrigation, hardware, garden center or pet store shows? All of them sell water garden supplies. Other water garden groups and shows have come and gone but the members of the IPPCA appear to be truly dedicated to their profession and is why I will continue to support the IPPCA and encourage others to do so as well. Keep up the good work. Warren Franz

What is Ponditat For Humanity?

IPPCA Top Gun contractors, along with volunteers, will rebuild a failed or failing pond with equipment donated by our sponsors. For past projects please visit http://www.ponditatforhumanity.com The IPPCA is now taking applications for this year’s Ponditat For Humanity project. Applicants must meet the following requirements: •Existing Pond •Should have been professionally installed •Should be 5 years old or less •Should have installation errors &/or is failing The IPPCA Board of Directors will have the final decision as to the recipient of the Ponditat For Humanity project. All pictures and information will become the property of the IPPCA upon submission. All decisions will be final. Deadline date for submission March 1, 2010 Submit information to info@ippca.com How do I submit my pond? Easy, send info@ippca.com a letter telling us why your pond should be the 2010 Ponditat For Humanity Project. In these times, we have to thank our Lord for what we have! Christmas right on top of us yet so many in need. My next door neighbor is in NEED and " THE PERSON THAT I AM", I will help them as much as I can, but they have at least 6 weeks of hard times. To explain, the young man (maybe 22 years old) was trying to put up some Chrtistmas lights for his first Christmas with a family together, and fell 12 feet only to fracture his back in 2 places, broke 3 ribs and his foot! I saw it happen! God sends us angels in time of need and I want help be thier angel! They are not well off as it is for them with 3 people working a new baby in the home, now one can't work at all and his wife has to take care of him which will change her income! I normally would not ask others to help with anything, but I am going to do all I can to help them personally. If I can get any donations I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT! Personally. I am looking at finishing my Crhistmas shopping, but I am going to hold that for them! Everyone that I know is OK. Things are not that bad where we all have dinner on the stove every night, but they are worried about whar dinner is going to be for the next 6 weeks! If you can do anything to help, please send dontaions to us in the name of : Christian Webster 559 Mendel Ave. Savannah, Ga. 31406 THANK YOU for anything that you can give! Sincerely, Tim and Brenda Sorrells

Ponds have held a special place in Mike White heart for 15 years. Mike served 2 terms as President of the Midwest Pond & Koi Society and 2 terms as Vice President. Mike founded White Water Filters in 1997 and specializes primarily in the construction of koi ponds and water gardens. Although pond construction is Mike's specialty, he also designs ponds and does pond consultations. He prides himself on working with the homeowner to help them achieve their dream. Often homeowners provide some of the "sweat equity" for their pond's construction with Mike's guidance. Mike's experience not only includes work with all type of commercial filters, but also encompasses design and installation of custom filtration systems. His experience with pond "hardware" includes a vast knowledge on ozone systems. White Water Filters handles any area of pond design, construction and maintenance that its clients need. Mike's slogan is "We can solve all your pond problems" and he proves this every day.

Performance Pro Pumps is pleased to offer you two great pump lines designed specifically for ponds, water gardens and aquaculture! These high efficiency, industrial quality units are built for maximum flow and good pressures (heads) to ensure you get the performance you need! Choose either the self-priming Artesian or the straight centrifugal Cascade. For money-saving efficiency and trouble-free reliability that’s way off the chart of ordinary pumps, you need Performance Pro!

Stoney Creek is a family run business owned by Steve and LeAnn Ouwinga and their son Dave. The company was founded in 1970 and has served over 22,000 customers from all 50 states in its 34 years of business. Aquaculture: The aquaculture industry is especially important to Stoney Creek Equipment Co. because we are an aquaculture producer, too! Stoney Creek Fisheries owns and operates over 60 production ponds and currently raises eleven species of fish for the live stocking market. We use and rely on the equipment we sell, just like you do.

Bi-Weekly Column by Max Phelps Plant Combinations for Stunning Landscaping Creating a pleasing picture in your mind as you view your yard from the street, or from inside your home, that's the general starting objective if you're going to landscape your place, or are planning to re-do it. Combinations of various plants that are compatible with the look of the home and the hardscape (such as the patio or gazebo) can be put together that yield a truly amazing and wonderful result in the landscape. I would like to offer a few observations on combinations for success in landscaping. You create a painting with a palette of colors and a brush and some canvas or paper. You create a bouquet by combining flowers and foliage in a vase. With a yard it's the same, only the scale is much more grand! Compliment, coordinate and contrast. Those are the key words to success when it comes to inspired landscaping. Complimentary colors, complimentary bloom times, complimentary foliage colors...this can get pretty detailed. Coordinate: a bland looking flower bed or foundation planting may be good coordination, but overly so means boring. Contrasts of foliage shape, texture, size, color; contrasts provide interest. Keeping these three properly balanced is key to having the look you intend. Native plants tend to “go” together. When a plant is yellow or red or some other peculiar color—it appears out of place. Evergreen plantings contrast well with leafless or brown foliage in winter. Also, they contrast well with blooming plants. But, at the height of summer, they may appear obscure. Colored plants, such as yellow, burgundy, red, variegated—are “unnatural”. They stand out. (And, since they do, they must look good at all times, otherwise they look shabby for certain.) Emphasize repetition if you want your landscape to look contrived or formal. Use odd numbers of plants, use curves and random placements if you hope to make it look natural. Yet, it's best to use repetition for a good look, for repetition unifies a landscape. Plants each have a natural form and shape. Trying to make them behave in ways they don't naturally behave can cause much shaping and clipping to be needed. Variegated plants look great in close focus. At a distance they are just another plant. Keep this in mind as you landscape. And, “special” plants are only special when they are used very very sparingly. (I had a client once who insisted on buying $4,000 of unusual and rare plants. It was a mess! Pretty plants, one of each, planted near each other, become a confusing mess.) One “wierdo” plant is sufficient for most any yard. A contorted mulberry, locust, spruce, filbert—may appear an awesome focal point in a yard. Ditto for a skinny, fat, yellow, blue, purple or variegated plant. A big bunch of such plants just wastes money since these items usually cost more than regular plants. Perhaps the biggest challenge in combining plants in a landscape is correctly figuring how they will look together within 12 or 25 or 50 years. What looks good when you plant it may be a fiasco in five years if you are not careful! I would like to take you to a yard, via a mental picture, where three Norway spruce stand behind two shorter grafted Colorado blue spruce. Those are the prettiest blue spruce I've ever seen. The reason is because they were placed correctly in the bigger canvass of the landscape in The Champions golf community by someone many years ago who knew what they were doing. The author is a landscaper. Contact via (606) 416-3911 or www.rockcastles.com NOTICE: You may use this article in your publication so long as above tagline stays, or you give an ad to author. Notice: I invite you to take a look at my website www.rockcastles.com For that lovely waterfall, stream, pond, or stonework you've been dreaming about, give me a call! Thank you! Max Phelps

One day workshop at Kodama Koi Farm, Hawaii

Kodama Koi Farm 94-728 Lanikuhana Ave. Mililani HI 96789 TEL 808-623-2997 / FAX 808-623-2993 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Taro Kodama Email: taro@kodamakoifarm.com Web: http://www.kodamakoifarm.com One day workshop at Kodama Koi Farm, Hawaii Honolulu, HI December 9, 2009 – On February 23rd 2010, Kodama Koi Farm will hold 1 day workshop for Koi and pond professionals at Kodama Koi Farm in Hawaii. Mamoru Kodama and his son Taro, as top eye holders of Japanese Koi, will provide hands-on Koi lecture on how to grade and price Koi. The title is “Right grading, Right pricing and Right profit.” Mr. Mamoru Kodama says “visiting many Koi and pond stores throughout US, I found many did not properly grade and price Koi, thus lose the profit.” This workshop is intended to help professionals to learn how to grade Koi to maximize the profit. After short in-class seminar, the attendances will actually go out to the farm and harvest one of the ponds. Using those Koi, the Kodamas will show you how to hold Koi, separate Koi, price Koi and more. The harvested Koi after the seminar will be for sale. The seats are limited. To reserve the seat, please contact taro@kodamakoifarm.com. The tuition is basically free. $100 is required to secure the seat, but will be applied to any purchase made during the day. February 20th -21st is also the 4th Japan Nishikigoi Expo and the 3rd Aloha Koi Show weekend. Coming to the event and the workshop at the same time will maximize the learning experience for the professionals. Who is Mamoru Kodama? As a top dealer as well as a great educator, his contribution to Koi industry is tremendous. As a dealer, he has won 5 grand champions at All Japan Nishikigoi Show. As an educator, he published 2 Koi books, every written by a real Japanese Koi dealer, which are now considered as bibles for Koi hobbyists. He now launched Kodama Koi Academy to teach Koi appreciation. The detail about Mr. Kodama can be found in the separate attached document. What is Japan Nishikigoi Expo? The 4th Japan Nishikigoi Expo is solely intended to promote the awareness of Nishikigoi and educate the public. This year, Mr. Hirasawa of Marudo Koi Farm, a top breeder in Niigata, Japan will visit us as the keynote speaker and also as a judge of Aloha Koi Show. The 1st Expo was held at Hyatt Hotel and the 2nd Expo at Hilton Hawaiian Village. What is Aloha Koi Show? The 3rd Annual International Aloha Koi Show is hosted by Aloha Koi Appreciation Society and is expecting almost 300 entries of top quality Koi, not only from Hawaii but also from the US and Canada. This is one of the biggest Koi shows in the US. Kodama Koi Farm is a subsidiary of Miyoshiike, a 40 year-experienced top Nishikigoi dealer in Japan. Miyoshiike opened Japan Koi Online as the service center of US in California in 2000. Recently, the company expanded to Hawaii in search of a better environment for raising Koi and is doing business as Kodama Koi Farm. Aloha Koi Appreciation Society was founded by Mr. George Ariyoshi, former governor, and Mr. Mamoru Kodama, founder of Kodama Koi Farm and a top authority in the Koi world. Should you have any questions, please contact Taro at taro@kodamakoifarm.com If you would like more information, please contact Taro Kodama at 808-623-2997

The 10th annual Koi Health Seminar will be held in Seminar topics:

• Parasite identification and treatments
• Microscopic techniques
• Water quality and treatments
• Bacterial evaluation and management
• Culture and sensitivity
• Antibiotic classification and
• applications
• Viral evaluation and management
• Fecal exam and parasite management
• Surgical techniques
• Necropsy and sampling techniques
• Quarantine procedures
• Fall Ikeage

All course materials are included. Registration and information available online Register Here Early registration is suggested. For more information contact Vicki Vaughan at 706-247-6274 or vicki@flatrockkoi.com