Garden Pond

Davesnave

JIL said:

If it's just for wildlife, cant you put some wire mesh across it? Surely the plants will eventually cover the mesh and hide it.

Or why not dispense with the mesh and just build it? A wildlife pond isn't going to drown anyone if it has shallow edges. What drowns kids (and adults) is areas of water that are immediately deep, like old swimming pools or even barrels that catch rain water.

This is a ridiculous discussion. The OP isn't proposing to build a railway or place man traps (person traps?) in their garden. If they were, they'd need better security than a panel fence!

FreeBear

Davesnave said: Or why not dispense with the mesh and just build it? A wildlife pond isn't going to drown anyone if it has shallow edges. What drowns kids (and adults) is areas of water that are immediately deep, like old swimming pools or even barrels that catch rain water.

Children have been known to drown in paddling pools and even shallow baths - 50mm of water is all that is needed, and it doesn't need to be a large body.

https://www.rospa.com/resources/hubs/keeping-kids-safe/drowning

Davesnave

FreeBear said:

Davesnave said: Or why not dispense with the mesh and just build it? A wildlife pond isn't going to drown anyone if it has shallow edges. What drowns kids (and adults) is areas of water that are immediately deep, like old swimming pools or even barrels that catch rain water.

Children have been known to drown in paddling pools and even shallow baths - 50mm of water is all that is needed, and it doesn't need to be a large body.

https://www.rospa.com/resources/hubs/keeping-kids-safe/drowning

Of course very small children like babies can drown in 5cm of water, but they aren't going to be wandering from garden to garden unsupervised. Paddling pools and baths are the most likely killers being where those kids will be found most often, but in my time I've seen dozens of deep ponds and disused swimming pools etc. All are irrelevant here. No one is proposing those.

A two year old in my extended family drowned in a water butt. It's very likely they would have been alive today if instead they'd taken a header into  a wildlife pond with shallow edges, which we must credit the OP with enough intelligence to design, since they are responsible enough to think about safety.

scottishblondie

Davesnave said:

FreeBear said:

Davesnave said: Or why not dispense with the mesh and just build it? A wildlife pond isn't going to drown anyone if it has shallow edges. What drowns kids (and adults) is areas of water that are immediately deep, like old swimming pools or even barrels that catch rain water.

Children have been known to drown in paddling pools and even shallow baths - 50mm of water is all that is needed, and it doesn't need to be a large body.

https://www.rospa.com/resources/hubs/keeping-kids-safe/drowning

Of course very small children like babies can drown in 5cm of water, but they aren't going to be wandering from garden to garden unsupervised. Paddling pools and baths are the most likely killers being where those kids will be found most often, but in my time I've seen dozens of deep ponds and disused swimming pools etc. All are irrelevant here. No one is proposing those.

A two year old in my extended family drowned in a water butt. It's very likely they would have been alive today if instead they'd taken a header into  a wildlife pond with shallow edges, which we must credit the OP with enough intelligence to design, since they are responsible enough to think about safety.

A 2 or 3 year old cousin of mine drowned in a puddle.  If you hit your head on the way down, you can drown in anything.

Davesnave

scottishblondie said:

Davesnave said:

FreeBear said:

Davesnave said: Or why not dispense with the mesh and just build it? A wildlife pond isn't going to drown anyone if it has shallow edges. What drowns kids (and adults) is areas of water that are immediately deep, like old swimming pools or even barrels that catch rain water.

Children have been known to drown in paddling pools and even shallow baths - 50mm of water is all that is needed, and it doesn't need to be a large body.

https://www.rospa.com/resources/hubs/keeping-kids-safe/drowning

Of course very small children like babies can drown in 5cm of water, but they aren't going to be wandering from garden to garden unsupervised. Paddling pools and baths are the most likely killers being where those kids will be found most often, but in my time I've seen dozens of deep ponds and disused swimming pools etc. All are irrelevant here. No one is proposing those.

A two year old in my extended family drowned in a water butt. It's very likely they would have been alive today if instead they'd taken a header into  a wildlife pond with shallow edges, which we must credit the OP with enough intelligence to design, since they are responsible enough to think about safety.

A 2 or 3 year old cousin of mine drowned in a puddle.  If you hit your head on the way down, you can drown in anything.

This is true. Last winter I watched a 1.5 year old go face down in one of the a big puddles which form here frequently in the winter and stay for weeks. The gormless parents were staring at their phones and just let it happen. The tarmac and stones were a less forgiving place for a face than a wildlife pond with reeds and vegetation around the edge.

But if the OP doesn't want to spoil the look of the pond too much and be sure it's drown proof then a bit of steel reinforcing mesh is the way to go, cut to size and shape with an angle grinder. It will rust into its environment nicely.

stuart45

My wife's tortoise spent at least 12 hours at the bottom of the pond and still lived to tell the tail.

Davesnave

stuart45 said:

My wife's tortoise spent at least 12 hours at the bottom of the pond and still lived to tell the tail.

Off topic, but I once found and captured one of its relatives in a tiny Somerset stream. It was a terrapin of the pet variety that had gone native and weighed a couple of kilograms. Hilarious, till you realise it could take a person's finger off, quick as wink.

stuart45

Did you keep it or put it back? I remember seeing them in pet shops years ago, but they were the size of a mouse back then. 

Davesnave

It went back. The stream which led into a large pond was part of a private wildlife park and gardens covering many acres. At the time I wasn't sure if it was one of the 'attractions' of the place! I did some reading later.

Here's a cropped photo. I don't want my ugly mug on here....

stuart45

Glad to see you've still got all your fingers