Weschester POA Retention Pond Maintenance

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• Dear Neighbors,
• Our community retention pond is a common infrastructure feature that serves the entire POA. It manages stormwater runoff from surrounding properties, protects against flooding, and helps preserve water quality and property values throughout the neighborhood.
• At present, the financial responsibility for maintaining this pond rests with only four homeowners, despite the fact that the pond receives runoff from multiple surrounding lots within the POA. This imbalance has raised understandable concerns and prompted the need for a broader community discussion.

• The retention pond collects stormwater from:
• Residential lawns
   
• Driveways and landscaped areas
   
• Fertilized turf and soil
   
• Rain and irrigation runoff from multiple properties
   
• When rain or irrigation occurs, soil, lawn fertilizers, and organic debris are washed into the pond. Over time, this leads to nutrient buildup, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, which directly contribute to algae blooms and declining water quality.
• This process does not originate from any single household. It is the combined runoff from many homes within the POA, all of which drain into the same retention system.

Lawn fertilizers are a major contributor to ongoing pond maintenance costs.

Fertilizers applied to lawns do not remain fully in the soil. During rainfall or watering:

• Excess fertilizer is carried off the lawns
   
• Nutrients enter the stormwater system.
   
• Runoff flows into the retention pond
   
• Nutrients feed excessive algae growth
   

Once established, algae blooms:

• Reduce oxygen levels in the water
   
• Create odor and visual issues
   
• Increase mosquito activity
   
• Require repeated chemical treatment to control
   

This is why routine monthly pond treatments are necessary. They are not optional or cosmetic — they are required to counteract continuous nutrient input from surrounding properties.

Currently, four homeowners are carrying the full financial burden of maintaining a pond that:

• Serves drainage needs for multiple lots
   
• Receives runoff from fertilized lawns throughout the POA
   
• Protects nearby and downstream properties
   

This situation is not sustainable or equitable.

Because the pond is affected by the actions of many properties, the responsibility for maintaining it should be shared more broadly within the POA, rather than resting with a small number of homeowners.