Hey we have to put in a small detention pond as part of our new build - The city required 10 year storm water management of all water on the site to be captured and held.

So we will have a 9ft by 18ft area with a depression in it that we will put grass in - I didn't want a gravel pit, that would have been pretty bad!

We are thinking of putting a play structure in that spot - if and when it fills (we typically only get winter rains here) it wouldn't be a time for out boy to be out playing anyway.

I would be worried if the detention pond is very visible and "ugly" - if it is landscaped well then it wouldn't be a problem in my book.

I believe the term is retention pond.

Our neighborhood has 2 and you can't really see them - they are covered with vegetation. Obviously it depends what your neighborhood does with it.

These things are pretty common (universal around here) nowadays. I don't think it is a problem with resale unless it is ugly.

Around here, they almost always have water in them unless there is a drought.

We lived with one in our backyard 25 feet from our pool for 17 years. It did fill when it rained over one inch at a time but drained with in less than 12 hours when the rain stopped. We kept it mowed and had a split rail fence around it people wondered if it was a riding ring it was about 150 feet by 80 feet. After the fence startedto look shabby we took it down and it looked like lawn with a dip in it. We planted a willow tree in the middle that grew beautifully. This area was never wet with standing water only when raining hard. It was never a dangerous area but my kids were not allowed to play in the water unless I was there. They did have fun with it though.
We sold our house in Oct 2009. It was listed for less than 24 hours and the first people to look at it stayed for 6 hours and bought it that evening and we closed in thirty days for 5000$ less than asking. We were worried about the retention area being a liability but it was not for us or for the people who bought it. We live next door to this house while we are building our new house and have become friends with the new owners they still love the place and the "yard" is still just as well kept.
Of course this all could depend on whether the area is unsightly or has potential or has regulations governing what you can do with it.

Around here we see two kinds of retention ponds. One kind is just a grassy depression (usually fairly dry), and the other kind is a vegetation-filled, cat-o-nine-tails swamp. The grassy area wouldn't bother me at all, and a little bit of room between neighbors isn't such a bad thing. The swampy kind would be a turn-off to me, and would probably scare away buyers with young children.

If you're potentially going to be living near standing water, plan for a way to handle mosquitos. Find out if the town sprays or not (mine does, although I believe you can opt your property out). If the chemicals (or the thought of the chemicals) bother you, come up with another plan or rethink this property.

We don't know enough here. How big is "huge"? How deep is it? Is it fenced? Is it earthen or is part of it cement? Does water just 'accumulate' from under the ground or does storm water enter via piping? Is this area completely built-up, or will there be more water displaced as the area does build up?

A low, grassy depression is one thing, and I might be able to live with it. A fenced and posted cement 'tank' is something else, and I'd call it an irremedial defect.

I may be in the minority here but I wouldn't buy a house next to one . . . I have seen lots of them and never seen an attractive one ;). It would be a no go for me . . .

Thanks everyone for the comments and insight. The detention pond is dry, graveled at this time and since we've been experiencing a severe drought in the south, the grass around it is completely burned. This is a new construction area, so the other homes backing the pond have not all been built out yet. I would say it's about 25 feet long, deep in the sense that it's lower than the surrounding homes and land near it. It is currently not fenced, not landscaped around, and pretty dry/barren.

OK, *I* wouldn't buy there. It certainly is not an 'attraction', but if the price of the house reflects the 'DEtraction' -- buying next door could work for you. Remember, whatever it is now or will become...you have no say-so about it.

Maybe we should go back and look at the three prime rules of buying real estate: Location, location, and location.

Athensmom - if it is blocked with vegeation, would that change your mind? Around here in nice areas, they are either called ponds usually with a fountain and nicely landscaped or they are completely blocked with evergreen vegetation. I don't live next to one but our small neighborhood has 2 and one you have to really search for and the other is visible only because the greenway runs right next to it. I never considered either lot to be undesirable because of them.

I've also never noticed any extra mosquitos near one and there is no spraying. Ours have been nearly full all year (NC).

Usually they are owned by HOA and so you should have control of what is done with them. But I'm sure this varies where you are. I'd imagine anywhere with reasonable housing values would find it worth planting some tree/large bushes to make them invisible.

Most of these are used for stormwater management, which is why mosquitos are not a large problem. Simply varying the water level usually takes care of the mosquitos, and since these store water during periods of high runoff, and release this waster later, the water level varies quite a bit. It sounds like this one will be dry most of the time, and wet only during periods of runoff. Dry => no mosquitos.

Developers (at least around here) know that these questions will come up (value, desireability) and generally make them look pretty nice via landscaping so alleviate these issues. I have seen some that look quite attractive, with native grasses and flowering plants that have deep and well-developed root systems adapted to these wet/dry environment. The attractive ones, I wouldn't hesitate to move next to one. I have graded my lot to have several "natural" low spots and used these as small rain gardens that are actually very attractive (and low maintenance compared to turf grass, which was my overarching goal, having a landscape architect helps here though). I have installed these as well, and the ones I install look very good.

However I have certainly seen some that are eyesores, and those I wouldn't be clamoring to move in the vicinity of. Heck they might be a turnoff on the whole development as it indicates what kind of developer and/or planner designed the area.

Pictures would certainly help.

I would like to post a few pictures of the detention pond, but don't know how to do that on this website? How do I upload the photos? Help, please?

Here are a few photos of the detention pond.

Here is a link that might be useful: Detention Pond

Sorry about that...I have made the album private. Let me know your thoughts.

I checked out your pictures and I wouldn't buy a house next to the pond . . . it would be a major hit on resale, I think. Are there any plans for landscaping? I know in some areas detention ponds are marketed as water features, with fountains, elaborate landscaping, etc. What are they doing with this? It is not attractive as is ;). I think the old real estate adage of location, location, location is appropriate and would look for another lot . . .

Finally did you buy home next to detention pond as i am in simialir situation in community.