Keeping Your Pond Safe During California’s Fire Season: Practical Tips and Advice

Here in California, residents  claim we have five seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall, and fire.  This tongue in cheek reference is meant to lighten the harsh reality of fire season that often includes devastating loss of structures and life, both human and animal. 

Having fought a wildfire off of our house and animals in 2020, we can tell you first hand that this season is far from funny. 

Throughout my life, I had heard the phrase “frozen in fear” and I had always chalked it up to literary embellishment. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that when I saw those flames eating across my land towards my house and animals, I experienced this phenomenon first hand. I’m 100 percent certain that I was like a carton figure, stock still with my jaw to the floor.

 
But, you may be wondering, how does this affect me, and why are you writing about this on a pond blog?  Well, let me just explain it. 

When fires strike around you, even if you are miles and miles away, the ash and smoke from the fire can still travel to you. The smoke from the Apple Fire that started on our ranch traveled from our town of Cherry Valley (sort of near Palm Springs) all the way to Las Vegas, and was still so thick and heavy that residents complained about having trouble breathing. 

If the ash is heavy enough, and is landing in your pond, the pH of your water can change  dramatically, risking the lives of your fish. The ash can also clog the gills on your fish so they can not breath.   If you are seeing ash hit the surface of your pond, here are some things to do to protect your koi and goldfish. 

If the pond is small enough, cover it up. Keep the aerators and pumps running, but cover the pond so that ash can’t get in the pond. You could use a tarp, a tent, plywood, anything that can cover the water, but leave a little air space for oxygen exchange at the surface. 

If the pond is too large, try to cover at least some part of it. Then keep a close eye on how much is hitting the surface of the pond. If there is a lot, you will need to perform water changes to reduce the ash content. If you see it building up on the ground like snow, you definitely need to start doing water changes. Water changes are the best way to reduce or eliminate problems caused from ash. 

You might also consider adding carbon if you have somewhere to put it that the water will be forced through it. That will help remove some of the dangerous particulates in the water. 

The other major concern is if you are close enough to the fires that you experience power outages. While your home may be safe, the power grid in your area may get shut down, resulting your pond pumps and aerator being turned off. If you are in a potential fire zone, it is a good idea to have a battery operated air pump on hand to get some oxygen to your fish until you have power again. Of course a generator would be better, but if you can’t have a generator, a battery air pump and some water changes should get you through until power comes back on. 

Stay safe, and when you are making emergency contingencies, don’t forget those koi!!!