Landscape Design & Installation Advice | KD Landscape

How to Control Detention Pond Erosion on Your Commercial Property

Written by Kevin Manning | Feb 9, 2023 6:39:22 PM

We might not be able to read your mind, but we bet if we looked at your Greater Chicago commercial property wishlist, dealing with water issues is likely a top priority. 

A flooded parking lot at an industrial facility, office park, retail property, healthcare site, or school does more than cause soggy feet. It can negatively affect local water quality, cause erosion, chase away customers and give the entire property a bad name.

When stormwater falls on hard surfaces like parking lots, roads, paved sidewalks, walkways, driveways, and rooftops, it cannot seep into the hard ground so it runs off onto other lower areas. Because more water runs off of hard surfaces, local flooding can even occur. 

That’s why many of these types of sites will use detention ponds to collect their stormwater and better manage it on their facilities.

But wind and water can cause detention pond erosion, which can deteriorate your detention pond. 

Let’s talk about erosion control for detention ponds and detention pond maintenance so you can better learn how to salvage these important features on your commercial property.

Detention Pond Erosion Control Tips

Maintaining detention and retention ponds to ensure they are properly collecting stormwater on a commercial property is an important part of Greater Chicago commercial landscape maintenance. 

Detention ponds can vary in size and shape. Their job is to help slow heavy water flow and prevent floods, improving the condition of your parking lots and other paved surfaces. 

But shoreline erosion is a common occurrence because of the wind and water movement that happens in this area. 

Without proper detention pond maintenance, you could risk losing the stability of your detention pond. 

Try these strategies for alleviating detention pond erosion.

Stabilize the Shoreline

KD Landscape uses a technique called riprap to mitigate erosion on detention ponds.

 
Riprap is a method of installing a permanent layer of large, angular stone, cobbles, or boulders. These help armor, stabilize, and protect the soil surface against erosion.

When done correctly, the solution can be a somewhat permanent erosion control for detention pond solution.

Restore Surrounding Turf

After detention pond erosion occurs and you repair it, you also want to repair the surrounding vegetation. 



Replanting turf via hydroseeding can help restore the greenery around your detention pond. Then the amount of maintenance you need once grass grows in depends on the type of vegetation surrounding the basin. Some grasses need weekly mowing, and others can be maintained a couple of times a year.

Hire a Professional With Detention Pond Erosion Control Experience

When it comes to detention pond erosion, it’s better to be prepared and see it coming before it becomes too large and costly of a repair. 

Partnering with a commercial landscape professional that has experience in this area and keeps an eye on your detention pond can ensure erosion is kept to a minimum. You’re looking for detention pond experience, as well as proven results.  

Trust KD Landscape for Detention Pond Maintenance in Greater Chicago

As with the maintenance of any part of your commercial landscape, when you constantly monitor and manage your detention pond erosion, vegetation, debris, and blockages, you can avoid corrective action and keep maintenance costs in line.

An experienced commercial landscape contractor will look for issues throughout the year so you can address any erosion, backup, vegetation, or general upkeep issues before they get serious.

If you find yourself wanting to ask more questions about your detention pond and erosion happening on your commercial property, give KD Landscaping a call. We have nearly 18 years of experience taking care of detention ponds and can show proven results in their stabilization and upkeep. 

Then you’ll have less to worry about knowing this important feature on your site is doing its job managing stormwater the way you need it to. 

Want to learn more about how KD Landscape can help you manage erosion on your Greater Chicago commercial property? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice. 


Image Source: riprap