Rushing Waters

There is something magical about the sound of rushing water. It is relaxing and invigorating at the same time. The sound is even more magical in the dead of a Wisconsin winter.

We built a small watergarden/pond in our backyard several years ago. We expanded it two summers ago. It's not much; a small pond with a small waterfall. We work to keep the waterfall running throughout the winter to provide open water for the birds and other wildlife.

That has been a difficult task already this winter; and it's only early January.

We have a small pond heater near the pump chamber inlet in an attempt to keep the inlet open. The falling water tends to keep at least a small hole open where it cascades into the pond below. A sheet of ice covers the rest of the pond's surface. This method tends to work moderately well until circumstances fall into place that mess up the inlet or outlet.

The most common problem to rear its ugly head is the pump inlet getting clogged with leaves or a hibernating frog. Either of these situations require me to plunge my hand and arm into the pump chamber to clear the inlet. The heater is able to keep the water in the pump chamber barely above freezing.

Plunging my arm in above the elbow results in a very, very cold hand and arm. I sometimes try to mitigate the cold at least a bit by running a hose from the utility sink in the laundry room to add hot water to the pump chamber before I put my hand in. The near freezing water continuing to pour into the chamber from the pond keeps the water from actually getting warm, but it makes it almost tolerable until I have to pull my hand back out into the winter air.

The pain is worth it, though, when we look out the window to see the birds and other wildlife flocking to our yard for life-sustaining water; our little pond apparently providing the only open water for quite a distance. I'm sure the coming days will require me to perform various special maintenance tasks as we seek to keep the water available through the frigid temperatures we are expecting.

I'll continue to try to keep up, though, knowing that it may be the only water available to the critters that have come to depend upon it.