Pond Dye for HOA’s – Is It Really Worth It?

If you're managing the ponds and lakes for the HOA in your community, you may or may not have heard of something called "pond dye." Pond dye is nothing more than food coloring for lakes and ponds. When added in sufficient quantities to the water, it will change the color from an ugly brown to an aesthetically pleasing blue or green. Some HOAs use pond dye to match the color of the water to the surrounding pond or lake environment. Several misconceptions about pond dyes prevent many HOAs from using them. We will examine pond dyes' pros and cons and how your HOA can benefit from them.

How Does Pond Dye Work?

No matter the manufacturer, all pond dyes work by coloring the water. The actual color can be several shades of blue/green, depending on the product used and the chemistry of the water (how it will react). There are two popular methods of applying the dye. We use the first one on larger lakes and bodies of water. A 50-lb bag of dye crystals is cut open, and the maintenance crew hops into a boat on the far side of the lake. As they motor from one side to the other, they will allow some crystals to fall out of the bag and into the water. Depending on the lake's size, it could take anywhere from 1 – to 10 bags. After the maintenance crew reaches the end of the body of water, they'll reevaluate a few times and rev up the motor. Revving the motor helps the dye get absorbed more quickly by the water. The second method involves standing on a dock or shore and dumping 1-gallon bottles into the water. This method can take much longer as the dye will need to mix into the water on its own.

What Are the Benefits of Pond Dye?

Many HOA ponds and lakes are not natural – if they were, they would have dried up long ago and turned into a marsh (if not fed by a river or natural aquifer such as a spring). Because they're not natural, algae growth can spiral out of control, especially in stagnant water in the warm summer months. Many HOA ponds have a dark green to brown tinge to the water. Many people (including prospective residents) find this color to be unattractive. People use pond dye to maintain the aesthetics of their body of water, which helps keep property values high. Many people don't realize that pond dyes can help inhibit certain nuisance algae from growing. Once the water dissolves the dye, it starts to absorb sunlight, thereby reducing the depth of the photic zone. Submerged plant and algae growth will be contained in the shallow areas of the body of water. It should be noted that dying your pond is not a substitute for professional pond dredging. As time goes by, leaves and other organic matter will fall into the water and sink to the lowest point—where beneficial bacteria cannot break it down. As time goes by, nutrient levels will grow even higher, and nuisance plant/algae outbreaks will become even more severe.

Is Pond Dye Safe?

Provided that the dye's ingredients are environmentally friendly and non-toxic, it is safe for humans, animals, reptiles, and fish. As long as the proper amount of dye was used (and it has been diluted to the recommended levels), swimming in a body of water will not result in stained clothing, hair, skin, or fur. Fish that live in dyed water are also safe to eat. Dogs can safely swim in it, and the water can be used to irrigation crops or livestock.

Other Benefits of Pond Dye

If your pond has expensive Koi that seem to fall victim to Blue Herons or other fish-eating bird species, dyed water can prevent predation by obfuscating the shallow ends of the water. The birds can't see through the dye color, and spawning fish in the shallows are safe. Another reason to dye your pond is that it will provide an optical illusion. The dyed water can make a shallow pond look much more profound than it is. Finally, dyes can prevent nuisance plants such as mat-forming, single-cell, and filamentous algae from blooming out of control. It should be noted that the dye will not inhibit the growth of beneficial aquatic plants.

Downsides to Pond Dye

The biggest downside is that if you or your maintenance crew get the dye on your clothes or skin, you'll come out looking like Papa Smurf for a few hours to a few days. Bodies of water constantly refreshed by natural springs or running water have a hard time retaining the dye's blue or green color. The only option is to keep adding dye. Rainstorms and water runoff can also decolorize the water in hours. Once the rains cease, we will need to add the dye. If you have a muddy pond, black dye will not help. The only color that will work is blue, which is due to how it reacts to light.

How to Maintain Pond Dye?

If you want to ensure your color levels stay optimal, you can buy an inexpensive Secchi disc. Choose a spot in the lake or pond and drop the disc overboard, measuring the depth level as it goes down. Take measurements 48 hours after the first pond dye application. This will help you get a baseline so you don't over-dye the body of water.

HOA Pond Dredging Experts

Maintaining an HOA pond or lake requires much preventative maintenance to ensure that the body of water stays aesthetically pleasing and property values are high. If you last had your ponds or lakes dredged a while ago, call (817) 377-8512. At American Underwater Services, we specialize in dredging HOA and community ponds and bodies of water. We service all ponds, lakes, and bodies of water nationwide. We will come to you. Our services will help increase the life of your pond, remove foul smells, and remove the harmful nutrients that cause nuisance algae or plant outbreaks.