Landscaping could be used to reduce risks of retention ponds
As a parent, the worst thing I can imagine is losing a child.
My heart goes out to the father and family of the 9-year-old girl who recently drowned in an apartment retention pond.
When young children and developmentally disabled adults circumvent childproof locks and get outside unsupervised, they’re at risk for any number of dangers.
Ponds and moving vehicles in parking lots and on roads are two hazards that quickly come to my mind. My daughter suggested, instead of fencing, use wetland landscaping around the pond as a deterrent. Many plants thrive at the water’s edge.
Once mature, these plants can get tall and wide and possibly prickly – not something people naturally want to walk through. On the bright side, the plants are more visually appealing than a fence, and local wildlife loves them.
I’d gladly donate 20 or more hours of my off-work time monthly to help plant native flowers, bushes and grasses around area apartment retention ponds. It could save children’s lives and it would help conserve wildlife. How about it, folks?
Jenny Jenkins, Westerville