Ecological conditions of stormwater retention ponds

Construction of stormwater ponds is a widely used engineering practice for managing water quality and quantity in stream basins. Stormwater ponds become de facto aquatic ecosystems. The goal of my study was to determine the ecological characteristics of stormwater ponds relative to ponds constructed for other purposes, specifically to determine if the unique hydrological and geochemical characteristics of stormwater ponds resulted in degraded habitat quality. Macroinvertebrate communities were used as primary biological indicators. I found no indication that stormwater ponds as a class differed significantly in their biotic characteristics from non-stormwater ponds. I also found no indications that biotic characteristics were related directly to any of the biotic or abiotic factors identified. Factors that may explain the lack of class effect and direct correlates include the stochastic nature of pond colonization, the absence of natural ponds among the samples, and the similarity of midrange allochthonous impacts on ponds within a small geographic proximity.