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Construction of our Pond |
Finally Mr. Thoman had had it! Students would not let go of the idea of a pond for the garden. Afraid that the club would be taking on more than it could feasibly handle, he had been vetoing the idea for years. This firm mindset changed though when he heard about the grants being offered by the Hudson River Foundation. If the club could demonstrate how the construction of this pond could enhance the quality of the Hudson River, a sizable grant was possible. Knowing that the water that drained into our "ravine", or more realistically, a ditch dug out by a back hoe years ago, ultimately wound up in the Harlem River, later to flow into the Hudson, we had a good proposal. With our school and garden surrounded by acres of parking lot asphalt, the oil soaked water quickly finds its way into the Hudson. But with the combination of our restored cattail wetland, and a small pond, we could create a signifcant buffer between the polluted run off and the river. With this system acting as a mechanism to slow down the flow of this polluted water, and it turn catching some of the toxins, our project could play it's own little part in improving the Hudson. If you would like to learn more about our proposal to build a pond, and improve our wetland environment with new native plants, click this link. If you would like to learn more about the place where we purchased much of our pond materials, click this link. |
this is a rollover: click here to view before and after shots of our pond |
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Jose Jimenez removes a swamp willow tree that is right in the middle of where the pond will be located |
Pulling out the root of the tree took a full day |
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Victory! We got the root out! |
We then dug down about three feet for our pond |
Digging out an area three feet down, 20 across, and 15 wide took two weeks, as this was all done by hand with pick axe and shovel. |
We then put down old carpet material to cushion the liner. After that, we put down piping that allows oxygen in the soil under the pond to escape, and not create a huge bubble under the pond. |
After that, we put down about 2 inches of sand to cover the piping, and provide further cushioning for our liner. We didn't want any rocks, roots, or anything sharp in the soil to puncture the liner. |
We then put down our flexible pond liner, draping it over the whole pond area. Click here if you want instructions on how to lay down a liner. |
Luis Lopez lays down the stones that will rim the pond with cement. We used blue stone, a flat, smooth rock which comes from the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. We also filled the pond with water at this time to test the liner. |
This is how things looked after we scooped out all the water, and with all the rim stones in place. In the foreground on the slope is weed matting. We are getting ready to put in the landscaping. |
The ultimate test. We turned on the nearby fire hydrant, and let the water fill our wetlands, and then finally, were able to watch the water work its way toward the pond. Eventually it reached this ledge (our own little waterfall), and held our breaths as it we watched the pond fill up.It worked! |
We put in plants to fringe the pond. We chose plants that tend to be found along the edges of water bodies, such as horsetail, ferns, spice bush, marsh marigolds, cardinal flowers, jack in the pulpit, and some signature oak leaf hydrangeas. |
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not least, we had to address what would be in the water itself. We purchased
seven comet fishes, which are really gold fish, but are known to be quite
hardy, and to grow quickly. We also placed a few frogs and toads adjacent
to the pond. Finally, we placed a tray in the middle of the pond with
plantings, and have a nice assortment of lily pads with occasional flowers.
The fish have survived to this day, although the population is slowly
dropping. They have managed to survive in an aquatic environment which
endures high levels of street pollution and at times, low levels of oxygen,
as we have no pump to oxygenate the water. As of 2002, we still have a
frog population, but the toads have not been seen since the day we released
them. |
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The pond has given the garden an entirely new dimension. While it certainly has a strong appeal to visitors who find comfort in gazing at water, it always holds interest, whether to observe the gregarious fish or the unperturbed frogs. To add, the pond has helped balance our diverse habitat. At all times of year, the birds, squirrels, and other visiting creatures have found much value in our pond, and it has done much to make our natural habitat more diverse and appealing to animal and human alike. Special thanks to the students that made this possible. They designed, planned, and constructed this pond in one month: Evagelia Bakoulis, Dominique Guadelupe, Jose Jimenez, Luis Lopez, Sara Kempton, and numerous other students who dropped by to lend a helping hand. Thanks!!! |
