Farm ponds are small ponds created by farmers to collect water, attract wildlife, and provide recreation such as fishing, swimming, and ice skating. While these ponds improve the scenery and recreation opportunities for people living on farms, without adequate supervision, they can be the site of accidental drownings of both children and adults and can also be environmental health hazards. 

Farm ponds can be contaminated by fertilizer and pesticide runoff, hazardous waste, animal waste, and other pollutants. Pond water can have a foul odor, be littered with algae, or contain contaminants that can lead to disease. Farm ponds can also contain jagged rocks, broken bottles, animal bones, and other trash.

This description is based on the information found in the Web links listed with this topic.

Web Links from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
Drinking Water
Drowning
Hazardous Waste
Parasitic Diseases
Water Pollution
Water Safety (Recreational)

More Links
Farm Pond Safety (Pennsylvania State University)
Farm Pond Safety (Ohio State University Extension) (PDF — 184 KB)
Rural Water Safety (National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety)

Chemicals in Farm Ponds
Are these chemicals in MY community?
Acetone
Ammonia
Diesel
Gasoline
Methanol
Particulate Matter
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Pesticides
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Solvents
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Last Updated: October 17, 2012