Lake and Pond Maintenance Technician: Dragonfly Careers
Lake and Pond Maintenance Technician: Inside look at this important service!
Dan is a lake and pond maintenance technician for the Dragonfly Coastal market. Dan graduated with a degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and has been with Dragonfly since August 2018. He states, “I chose this path because I knew I wanted to work outside with nature. Growing up, I always knew that if I could find a career working with my hands in an outdoor setting, working around plants and animals, I would be happy in life. I didn’t sell myself short one bit.”
Dan rescued this turtle that became stuck in a riser.
Dan provided us with an inside look at the life of a Dragonfly Lake and Pond Maintenance Technician. The following is Dan’s report:
As a maintenance technician, I inspect and maintain lakes, ponds, and other aquatic systems. My favorite part of my job is traveling all over Eastern NC to my accounts and watching them transition into beautiful ecosystems. Many of my accounts are works in progress, but that gives me more drive to provide top-notch service and create healthy and beautiful environments that wildlife can thrive in.
Let’s take a look at some of my site visits this week.
Lake and Pond Maintenance Technician
Site 1
This first site is one of my favorite accounts to visit. I have worked hard over the last year and a half to get this site to its current shape. I stocked grass carp (seen in bottom photos) over the Spring as part of a customized Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM). Grass carp help with unwanted vegetation control. IPM utilizes natural biological solutions as part of a comprehensive maintenance plan to reduce the use of chemicals. This account is a prime example of quality clients that take recommendations from Dragonfly to keep their ponds healthy and beautiful.
Site 2
This site is another account I enjoy visiting because it has made drastic improvements over the last year. I also stocked grass carp in this pond and the upper right picture shows invasive vegetation along the shoreline before stocking the fish. I inspect all components of the system at every visit. During this visit, I found the orifice on the lower check dam to be clogged (bottom left photo). The culprit was a single gumball from a sweet gum tree. I removed the clog and the orifice returned to proper function. Clogged systems decrease proper drainage and increase flooding risk.
Site 3
Upon first glance, this basin looked pretty good. But upon further investigation, one of the inlet pipes was found to be a bit crooked. Close inspection of all structures is important every visit to notice any changes that occur, and let the client know. This pipe will likely need to be straightened out, otherwise, it could lead to erosion as water is directed to one side and not distributed evenly. Issues like this are always noted on my lake and pond maintenance technician reports to clients. These reports keep clients informed, help them plan for any potential repairs, and avoid issues worsening over time and becoming more costly.
Site 4
These two pictures are from the same spot, facing two different directions. To the left is the HOA that I manage, and to the right is another HOA, completely unmanaged. It is very clear where Dragonfly's service begins and ends. My hope is that the unmanaged side will see the quality of work we perform and will take us on as a future client so that we can improve this ecosystem. During this visit, I treated the pond perimeter for submerged pondweed.
Site 5
We took on this account this year and it was in rough shape. This pond was built potentially decades ago and has never been managed. Over the past few months, I have been experimenting with various aquatic herbicides to find what is most effective on fully established, floating mats of alligator weed, which are notoriously hard to get under control. The bottom photos show shoreline erosion due to muskrats which will continue to worsen if not addressed. In my client report, I recommended mowing on the pond slopes. Tall grass, weeds, and emerging saplings are hiding trash, trip hazards, and invasive vegetation.
Site 6
This next site visit was a special call for an inspection and diagnosis of a downed fountain. The first picture shows the working fountain on a previous visit. The fountain was tested at the panel box and the issue was determined to be in the water. The fountain was pulled to the shore for additional testing and the problem was found to be a faulty motor. Fortunately, the motor was still under warranty. I will reinstall the motor once it is repaired and returned by the manufacture.
Every day, I come across snakes, turtles, alligators, fish, and waterfowl. Being an outdoorsman, this is the part of my job that I enjoy the most. I take great pride in providing quality work to manage and maintain healthy and beautiful ponds and lakes for wildlife to thrive in. Pictured is an Eastern Box Turtle (the state reptile of NC) and a Water Moccasin, aka Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon Piscivorus), an extremely venomous snake. Tread lightly!
All of the photos and notes Dan shared are also included in his maintenance reports to clients, along with numerous other detailed notes and photos. Dan and the rest of the Dragonfly team pride themselves on communicating services completed and services recommended to clients after every visit. Thank you to Dan for sharing your lake and pond maintenance technician expertise!
Learn More!
Specialized maintenance is key to staying in budget and avoiding costly repairs. Learn about this important service and the process a pond goes through from basin to completed system.
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Dragonfly Pond Works is a lake, pond, and stormwater management company. We provide lake and pond maintenance, stormwater control measure repair, and more throughout North Carolina, in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Cary, and Wilmington. Our pond and lake maintenance services can be found throughout Florida, in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Naples, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Orlando. We also provide lake and pond maintenance in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Columbia, South Carolina, Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah Georgia. We strive to develop long-term relationships based on quality work, timely service, cost-efficiency, and of course, trust. Please contact us to learn more.