Ponds with some vegetation are fairly good at removing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. We also found that wet detention ponds may not be the most effective BMP for every location. We will continue to monitor wet detention ponds and other BMPs to make sure they are doing their job to improve water quality. Click here to view an article describing the effectiveness of BMP's. The owner is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the pond.
Ownership varies for each pond.
In residential neighborhoods, the homeowner's association is often the responsible owner. The Water Quality Monitoring section of the Stormwater Management Division recently undertook the responsibility for conducting annual maintenance inspections for all wet detention ponds in the City of Greensboro. Among their other duties, Water Quality Monitoring Technicians are now responsible for inspecting over 30 ponds every month. Once the ponds are assigned, the current owner is contacted and a basic maintenance education letter is sent. Prior to going to the site and conducting the inspection, the engineer design plans and previous inspection history is examined.