# What Is Pond Management?
Ponds add aquatic ecosystems to the environment, aid in slowing water runoff flow, filter water, and provide recreation. Pond management is essential to maintain a healthy balance to both the water and what lives in it. This includes the monitoring of aquatic plants, minerals, water quality, algae and pond life.
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Water Quality
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Pond water management includes the use of water testing kits that measure phosphorus, pH, alkalinity, temperature, and other vital factors in a pond's water quality. By testing pond water, you can better balance the water's measurements for healthier plant and animal growth and survival. Algae and aggressive plants can be treated with shifts in water quality, discouraging growth or spread.
Plants
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Pond plants grow beneath the water's surface; emergent or soil-rooted in water with the leaves above the water; or floating. Plants can be managed by mechanical means, such as mowers; physically, by weeding or cutting; chemically; or biologically, by increasing or decreasing animal, insect or fish life.
Pond Life
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Insects and pond life are best managed through education and species identification. Balance is maintained by recording the water quality and temperature, discouraging overpopulation, and keeping the pond free of stagnant areas. Algae is a type of pond life in its own category, requiring a separate management plan to keep it at a balanced level. Algae can quickly overtake a mismanaged pond.
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