Fear of child falling in?

[Tula]

I've talked about this before elsewhere. My yard isn't one you just wander into accidentally. A kid would have to very deliberately climb up a hill covered in scratchy juniper and then cross my front yard. Or they would have to go up my very long driveway, up my steps and around my screened in front porch to the side, in front of my living room window.

My pond won't be deep, but I know it only takes a small amount to drown in. I'm going to have steps on all sides but one.

If I find that it seems to be luring people up and onto my private property that close to my house, I can easily do a decorative fence between the corner of the porch and the stone wall that runs along the back of the pond site.

I'm home all day as well, so I think all those factors together make it at least a little less likely that someone would wander by and fall in. I'm more worried about the deer that cruise around at night, eating my plants. I think one of them would be more likely to fall in than a person! (And boy oh boy, I hope that doesn't happen! Flying hooves and deer panic would be scary!)

Ask @addy1 about a deer in your pond !!!

 

[Mmathis]

I guess this is an issue to discuss with your insurance company.

We don't have any small children in our neighborhood that I'm aware of. Maybe with the exception of the occas. visiting grandchild. But I do still worry, because kids of any age are going to be curious. There is a house next door to us that's for sale. A couple has a contract on it -- she is expecting their first baby. If they buy the house, I will make sure we get some kind of gate up (yard is fences, except for the driveway).

 

[Lisak1]

I agree with you @CometKeith. I wanted an easy and relatively safe way in and out of the pond myself because I knew I would have to get in on a regular basis. And if anyone goes by accident (which would only happen if they climbed our fence to get into the yard, so I don't think that can really be called an "accident") they would have a way to get out, too. My only real concern is someone cutting through the yard after dark and not realizing we have a pond. We keep the lights on at night for that very reason.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Tall fences make good neighbors ;-)
If a kid or anyone gets hurt on our property we are liable.
Around here we are all fenced in and gates are locked when we are not home.
Open gates and no fences are just inviting trouble.
Kids are to curius and,brave not go near a pool, pond
Our laws in california are if you have a pool it must be fenced in
And there is a measurement on fence placement, but don't remember what it is.
In any case I think of my pond like a pool so my back yard is fenced.
My children are all grown up but the grand children do not play around the pond and they go over the bridge to the deck with a adult.

Always be safe then sorry

Ruben

 

[budgenator]

In my area and probably most areas, code is any pool deeper than 24 inches need a 4 foot fence with a locking gate around it, so when we lived in the city we eventually put up the fence. The incident that got us moving on it is one of our neighbor’s had skied across our snow covered pond, trying out his new Christmas present, and perilously close to the hole made by the heater too. I'm not sure if a Garden pond counts as a pool or not, but I do know lawyers have a way with twisting definitions in unexpected ways; so talking to yours might be wise.

 

[Mmathis]

In my area and probably most areas, code is any pool deeper than 24 inches need a 4 foot fence with a locking gate around it, so when we lived in the city we eventually put up the fence. The incident that got us moving on it is one of our neighbor’s had skied across our snow covered pond, trying out his new Christmas present, and perilously close to the hole made by the heater too. I'm not sure if a Garden pond counts as a pool or not, but I do know lawyers have a way with twisting definitions in unexpected ways; so talking to yours might be wise.

I'm sure if it has water in it and meets the depth requirements.......

We have a neighbor who has brought her little granddaughter over a couple of times to "see the fishies." But she always checks in with us. What worries me about kids is that when Evie gets a little older, she's going to remember "the fishies," but not the part where Gram rings the doorbell and asks permission and asks for an escort. I was a good, obedient child, but I recall doing off-the-wall things simply because I didn't understand the dangers.

 

[bagsmom]

Always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to safety!
However, we did the same thing with my kids at my neighbor's house. Let's go see the fishies!!!!! Guess who always instigated every single visit? Me! (Surprise!) My kids liked seeing them, but were never particularly interested in her pond. Nor are they interested in my pond-to-be! I think it depends a lot, too, on how the neighborhood is. My kids were never outside without me. (We don't have a fenced-in yard.) When they got old enough to be outside alone, they were wrapped up in indoor stuff, like homework or "electronics." There aren't too many kids in the neighborhood who run loose anymore.

 

[addy1]

Ask @addy1 about a deer in your pond !!!

Never thought a deer would crawl down the steep slope then under the heron netting, to munch on the lily pads and then she decided she didn't know how to back out and up the slope.
So forward she went into the pond, she panicked, hit the netting on the far side, fell back in, tried again, then managed to push through.

NO liner damage. I don't use epdm.

My pond is deep at one end and slopes up and out. If someone fell in they can walk out. We are fenceless, have over 200 yards of land between the pond and neighbors. Also no children here, all the close neighbors have grown their kids.

 

[bagsmom]

Never thought a deer would crawl down the steep slope then under the heron netting, to munch on the lily pads and then she decided she didn't know how to back out and up the slope.
So forward she went into the pond, she panicked, hit the netting on the far side, fell back in, tried again, then managed to push through.

NO liner damage. I don't use epdm.

My pond is deep at one end and slopes up and out. If someone fell in they can walk out. We are fenceless, have over 200 yards of land between the pond and neighbors. Also no children here, all the close neighbors have grown their kids.

Oh my gosh! They eat water lilies? Those stinkers!
I had a mama deer in my backyard the other day eating tomatoes off the vine. She needed a bib -- what a mess!

 

[budgenator]

Oh my gosh! They eat water lilies? Those stinkers!
I had a mama deer in my backyard the other day eating tomatoes off the vine. She needed a bib -- what a mess!

Oh yeah the deer love swamps and bogs deep in the woods, lots of food and the predators can't get to them easily and the rotting muck is nice and warm too.