Farm Ponds

Construction of farm ponds or small impoundments has been a popular practice in rural and urban fringe areas.  Farm Ponds have been built for various regions and with varying effects.  Ponds have been built to provide livestock water, fish habitat, erosion control, sediment control, wildlife water, fire protection, and for many other reasons.  Sometimes ponds have been used in flood control systems.  Research published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation provides an insight into the effects of 250,000 ponds in Alabama.  They found that ponds are not very effective in reducing surface runoff, but the ecological benefits are many.