How Much Does It Cost To Maintain a Retention Basin

Some things are a real bargain.

Dollar cheeseburgers. Complimentary guacamole. Buy one pick-up truck, get one free.

Well, you can’t really count on that last one, but here’s one for your list: retention pond maintenance.

OK, not as exciting as a dollar cheeseburger, but stick with us and you’ll see what we mean.

Pamper That Pond

If you have a retention pond on your property, you already know it’s really useful.

Retention ponds are pools of water that fluctuate in response to rain and runoff. They collect water and release it slowly, at a nice, easy rate that prevents flooding or erosion.
Retention Pond
But once you have a retention pond installed, you can’t just forget about it.
Ignore it, and It will get clogged by weeds, trash, and debris. It won’t drain properly.

Welcome to your new landscaping feature: a big pond full of floating trash.

If it rains hard, you’ll have to pump out the accumulating water. It’s a mess.

Retention Pond Maintenance Cost: It’s Worth It

A better idea: keep up on your retention pond maintenance.

During the growing season, you should have your landscaping company attend to your pond twice a month, and once a month from November through February, says Cory Essman, Division Manager at North by Northwest Commercial Landscaping & Grounds Management.

What will crews do?

  • Keep the surrounding banks mowed. The grass and plants around a retention pond help filter pollutants from the storm water, but they shouldn’t be overgrown. Growth shouldn’t be higher than 18 inches, Essman says. 
  • Apply weed control to keep weeds from invading the pond’s sand filtration area. Weeds and other invasive plants can block water flow and crowd out beneficial greenery.
  • Remove any trash or debris that could clog the pond.
Retention Pond with mowed banks

What Does Retention Pond Maintenance Cost?

Retention pond maintenance is typically included in a larger landscape maintenance contract, Essman says.

But if you priced it out separately, it would come out to about $250 per visit, he says.

A small price to pay for avoiding an unsightly, smelly, flooding mess.

Especially if you’re due for an inspection.

Inspection Time

Retention ponds have to pass occasional inspections by your municipality or state environmental or water quality department to make sure it’s working properly.

They’ll check to see if vegetation or debris obstructs the water flow.

They’ll inspect the pond banks to make sure there’s no erosion.

They’ll want to see that any concrete or brick is structurally sound.

If they find any problems, you’ll get a warning and usually 30 days to fix it.

Continue to ignore it and you’ll face a hefty fine — as much as $2,000 a day, Essman says.

Makes that $250 retention pond maintenance cost seem like a real bargain, right?

Trust Your Retention Pond Maintenance to North by Northwest

Here at North by Northwest, stormwater control is one of our specialties, from installing solutions like retention ponds to making sure they work well, month after month.

And if you have other landscaping needs on your commercial property, we can meet those, too.

Are you ready for stress-free landscaping? Schedule a time to meet with one of our experts today. We’ll gather the details, create a customized plan just for you, and you can stop stressing as we improve and beautify your Austin, TX property.

Request a Consultation

Image Sources: Retention Pond, Retention Pond 2