Ponds are very common in the US and used for lots of different purposes such as irrigation, recreation (fishing, swimming, and enjoying nature), livestock watering, soil erosion, urban stormwater management, and even water gardens. Think of a pond as a living aquatic ecosystem, and the health of that ecosystem, and the wide variety of organisms living in it or around it, is influenced by the health of the water or its water quality.  So, managing ponds to ensure good water quality is important to understand, and we want to touch on some basics today.