A novel three-stage seaweed (Ulva lactuca) biofilter design for integrated mariculture

Seaweed biofilters have proven their usefulness in the treatment of fishpond effluents. However, their performance poses a dilemma: TAN (Total Ammonia N) uptake rate – and with it seaweed yield and protein content – is inversely proportional to TAN uptake efficiency. The ideal for a seaweed biofilter performance would be a high uptake rate together with high uptake efficiency. The novel three-stage seaweed biofilter design described here has solved this dilemma. The design used the finding that the performance of seaweed ponds depended on the flux of TAN through them, and that therefore effluents with reduced TAN concentration could provide the seaweed with a high TAN flux if the water flow increased proportionally. Effluents from a seabream fishpond were passed through a series of three successively smaller (25, 12.5 and 6.25 m², respectively) air-agitated Ulva lactuca ponds. The diminished inflow TAN concentrations to the second and third ponds of the biofilter system were compensated for by the increased water exchange rates, inversely proportional to their sizes. The biofilter performance was evaluated under several TAN loads. TAN was efficiently removed (85–90%), at a high areal rate (up to 2.9 g N m^-2 d^-1) while producing high protein U. lactuca (up to 44% dw) in all three stages, although with mediocre yields (up to 189 g fresh m^-2 d^-1). Performance of each seaweed biofilter pond correlated not with TAN concentration, but with areal TAN loads. The novel three-stage design provides significant functional and economic improvements in seaweed biofiltration of intensive fishpond water.     

Artificial ponds: a substitute for natural Beaver ponds in a Central European Highland (Eifel,Germany)?

Stormwater ponds are increasingly common aquatic habitats whose biotic communities are largely unexplored. As anthropogenic development continues to alter the landscape, watershed land use is gaining recognition for its potential to predict species compositions in aquatic systems. This study reports species composition of five aquatic hemipteran families (Notonectidae, Corixidae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae, Pleidae) in 28 permanent, artificial stormwater ponds in watersheds with different land covers and associated contaminant input. We hypothesized that land cover variables would be significant drivers of aquatic hemipteran community structure in ponds, and that ponds with a high percentage of agricultural and lawn cover in the watershed would be characterized by the absence of species intolerant of the chemical, physical, and ultimately biotic changes associated with these watersheds. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMS) was used to identify dominant gradients of species composition and environmental variables. Pond morphology variables, watershed lawn, watershed agriculture, and predatory fish abundance were each found to have statistically significant correlations with hemipteran community structure. The abundance of Notonecta undulata, the species responsible for creating the largest (ranked) distance in species structure among ponds, was positively correlated with shallow, fishless ponds and independent of land use variables. The abundances of four species of corixids were negatively correlated with watershed agriculture, and hemipteran richness was positively correlated with watershed lawn and negatively correlated with pond surface area. Heirarchical cluster analysis revealed non-random hemipteran species assemblages in which congeneric corixid species tended to co-occur, contradicting traditional niche theory. Since artificial stormwater ponds are chemically different from natural-pond habitat and rapidly increasing in number, knowledge of which insect species are capable of thriving in this environment and their relationship to land use in the watershed is of both environmental and evolutionary interest. Handling editor: D. Dudgeon     

Opportunities and challenges for managing nitrogen in urban stormwater: A review and synthesis

Although nitrogen (N) is prevalent in urban stormwater, regulation of this pollutant has occurred only more recently. This paper reviews the concerns over N in urban stormwater, mechanisms and design enhancements for N uptake and denitrification through various stormwater control measures (SCMs), and presents opportunities to integrate this current knowledge into the regulatory framework. A survey of personnel directly involved in various aspects of US state and territory NPDES programs revealed that the top three pollutants of concern were total suspended solids (TSS), pathogens and bacteria, and total phosphorus (TP). Surprisingly, nitrate (NO₃^?) was of little concern among the survey respondents, with 3.9% giving it the highest level of concern, 2.0% ranking it second, and 6.0% ranking it third. When asked which strategies were currently used in their geographic area for stormwater management, the most common results were wet ponds and dry ponds. At the same time, wet ponds and dry ponds were recognized as less effective practices to manage stormwater.A review of current literature reveals that several alternative SCMs, such as bioretention, filters, and wetlands, show greater promise in their ability to remove N from stormwater than more conventional practices such as dry ponds and wet ponds. Enhanced N removal via denitrification and plant uptake is often observed under the combination of aerobic followed by sustained anoxic conditions, the presence of a carbon source (organic material), and the presence of mature, dense vegetation.Given the lack of concern or awareness of local officials related to N loading from urban stormwater, and variation in the efficacy of various SCMs, it is not surprising that regulators remain focused on conventional dry pond and wet pond control measures. More needs to be done to quantify the impact of urban sources of N on water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, greater focus needs to be placed on the development of design criteria for SCMs, such as bioretention, filters, and constructed wetlands, which show more promise for N removal.     

Inner city stormwater control using a combination of best management practices

Structural best management practices (BMPs) are now commonplace for stormwater management in new suburban developments; however, their installation in older central areas is limited. Here, the effect of disconnecting impervious areas from a combined sewer in favour of a new open stormwater system is investigated. The site, an inner city suburb of Malmö, Sweden, consists of council offices and apartment blocks separated by courtyards, roads and parking places. The BMPs range from green-roofs and open channels to detention ponds and their choice, size and location was dictated by cost, available land, safety and public expectations. The system was assessed by comparing synthetic hydrographs for the 1/2, 2, 5 and 10-year design-storms assuming wet and dry initial conditions. Direct runoff was simulated using the time–area method; and routing through the BMPs using PondPack. As the BMPs are in series, the outflow of one BMP became part of the inflow to the next in the system. Additionally, the water balance for the year 2001–2002 was investigated. It was found that the green-roofs are effective at lowering the total runoff from Augustenborg and that the ponds should successfully attenuate storm peak flows for even the 10-year rainfall.     

Lagoonal stormwater detention ponds as promoters of harmful algal blooms and eutrophication along the South Carolina coast

In the rapidly urbanizing coastal zone of South Carolina, intensive landscape maintenance and turf management are significant sources of nonpoint source pollutant loadings. The best management practice of choice for stormwater in this region is wet detention ponds, the majority of which are brackish lagoons. Typically, stormwater is piped directly into the ponds, but ponds have limited capacity for processing pollutants. These eutrophic brackish ponds are “hot spots” for harmful algal blooms (HABs)—over 200 blooms from 23 different species were documented over the last 4 years, many associated with measured toxins, fish kills or shellfish health problems. Because these ponds exchange with tidal creeks, they are potential sources for HAB dispersion into adjacent estuaries. Also, flux measurements indicated that groundwater was both a source of nutrients to the ponds and a mechanism for transporting nutrients from the ponds. These findings suggest that manmade ponds as presently designed along the SC coast may contribute to estuarine eutrophication and HAB prevalence. A summary of HAB occurrences in SC lagoonal ponds from 2001 to 2005 is presented, and a project is described that simulates the effectiveness of constructed wetlands as a supplementary best management practice designed to process stormwater and groundwater and remove nutrients prior to entering wet detention ponds.     

The use of pine bark and natural zeolite as biofilter media to remove animal rendering process odours

Studies of odour-control pilot-scale biofilters at a rendering plant were conducted for five years. The biofilters contained different sizes of crushed pine bark or a mixture of zeolite and crushed bark, and treated the exhaust gases from direct-fired meal dryers. The exhaust gases were odorous and contained significant smoke. The odour concentration of the rendering process air ranged between 50,000 and 307,200 OU m(-3). Odour-removal performance measurements of the biofilters were undertaken on five occasions using forced-choice dynamic-dilution olfactometry. Biofilter odour-removal efficiencies of between 80% and 99% were measured at various influent odour concentrations and air loading rates. There was no obvious deterioration in performance of these biofilters between various sampling times in the five year study period. The biofilters also reduced the "offensiveness" of the odour. The fine crushed bark biofilter generally reduced odour concentration more efficiently than the coarse bark biofilter. The additions of zeolite to the bark medium in the biofilter had little effect on the odour-removal performance. An increase in air loading rate produced only a very small decrease in odour-removal performance. The pilot-scale biofilters had smoke removal efficiencies between 71% and 100%. Finely crushed bark removed smoke more effectively than coarsely crushed bark. Drainage from the biofilters contained significant concentrations of pollutants, suggesting that controlled leaching has potential to remove accumulated substances in biofilter media from rendering gas emissions and increase the longevity of a biofilter system.     

The role of pollutant accumulation in determining the use of stormwater ponds by amphibians

Urbanization often results in the creation of habitats such as stormwater management ponds. Although stormwater ponds are designed to retain runoff and associated pollutants, they are frequently colonized by wildlife including pond-breeding amphibians. Understanding of the ecological function of these created habitats is limited. This study investigated the role of pollutants in shaping use of stormwater ponds by amphibians. A survey of 68 stormwater ponds in Baltimore County, Maryland, and statistical modeling found wood frogs (Rana [= Lithobates] sylvatica) were more likely to breed in ponds with longer hydroperiods and Cl^? concentrations below approximately 250 mg/L. American toad (Bufo [= Anaxyrus] americanus) use of ponds was primarily influenced by hydroperiod; toads were more likely to use longer hydroperiod ponds. To confirm use was a result of toxicity and differential sensitivity among species, wood frog and American toad embryos and larvae were exposed to sediment from six stormwater ponds spanning the range of pollutant conditions documented in the field. Survival of wood frogs through metamorphosis was related to metal and salt levels of pond sediments, but survival of American toads was not. In agreement with the field study, no wood frog larvae survived to metamorphosis when Cl^? levels were above 260 mg/L. The results suggest that pollutants that accumulate in stormwater ponds, specifically road deicing salts, are acting as local filters capable of creating unique assemblages of anuran larvae in urban areas.     

Influence of plant species and submerged zone with carbon addition on nutrient removal in stormwater biofilter

The type of plant species and the presence of a submerged zone (SZ) with carbon (C) addition may influence nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal in stormwater biofilters under wet-dry climatic patterns. A glasshouse experiment using two plant species (Baumea juncea and Melaleuca lateritia) with/without SZ and C addition, in addition to two plant species (Baumea rubiginosa and Juncus subsecundus) and a no-plant as control with SZ and C addition was conducted to investigate the removal of NH₄-N, NO_x-N, total dissolved N (TDN) and total N (TN) and filterable reactive P (FRP), total dissolved P (TDP) and total P (TP) from the stormwater in biofilter columns during 20 months of plant growth and 16 months of water sampling runs. All plants grew vigorously and developed well in the biofilters, but plant growth and nutrient removal (except for NH₄-N and FRP removal) were enhanced in the planted treatments with rather than without SZ. The removal of N was significantly higher in the planted treatments with SZ than in the no-plant treatment with SZ. The removal of TP significantly increased in the treatments with SZ regardless of the plant presence or absence. Although different plant species contributed differently to nutrient removal from the stormwater, it was not possible to discriminate the relative performance of the four plant species with SZ. The benefits of a SZ with C addition for nutrient removal in the planted biofilters could be due to increased denitrification and improved plant growth.     

Gaseous CAH removal by biofiltration in presence and absence of a nonionic surfactant

The objectives of this study were to investigate the biodegradation of gaseous trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in an activated carbon biofilter inoculated with phenol-oxidizing microorganisms and to study the effect of surfactant concentration below its critical micelle concentration (CMC) on the removal efficiency of TCE or PCE. For the enhanced biofiltration, a biodegradable nonionic surfactant was added to biofilters. The investigation was conducted using two specially built stainless steel biofilters, one for TCE and the other for PCE.

The removal efficiency of gaseous TCE was 100% at a residence time of 7?min and its average inlet concentration of 85?ppm. For gaseous PCE, 100% removal efficiency was obtained at residence times of 4–7?min and its average concentrations of 47–84?ppm. It was found that adsorption by GAC and absorption by influent nutrient solution were a minor or negligible mechanism for TCE and PCE removal in the activated carbon biofilters. The TCE and PCE activated carbon biofilter performances were observed to be a little enhanced but not significantly, when the surfactant was introduced at concentrations of 5–50?mg/l. Surfactant concentrations of 5–15?mg/l were found to be an optimal dosage in the biofilter operation for avoiding significant residual in the effluent from biofilters.

     

Urban Wet Environment as Mosquito Habitat in the Upper Midwest

Sampling of Culex larval habitat plays an important role in West Nile virus surveillance and control programs. Although many cities have established mosquito sampling programs and abatement districts, there is relatively little information describing the extent and ecology of urban surface waters and stormwater systems in different geographic areas and how these parameters affect mosquito communities and control strategies. An aerial survey of the city of Madison, Wisconsin revealed 521 above-ground wet sites. These included both constructed stormwater systems (ditches, retention ponds, detention ponds) and natural wetlands (marshes, flood areas, creeks, and rivers). Repeat sampling of 351 of these sites was conducted during 2004 and 2005. The majority of sites, 58% in 2004 and 72% in 2005, yielded no mosquito larvae, suggesting that physical and biological features of these wet sites limit the development of mosquito larvae. For both years, analysis of the positive samples revealed that less than 25% of sites produced Culex spp. while a small number of ditches and detention ponds were consistent “superproducers” of Culex larvae from year to year. This information will facilitate comparisons across geographical areas and provides insight into local variation in the public health risk due to mosquito transmission of human disease agents. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Determination of local elimination capacities and moisturecontents in different biofilters treating toluene and xylene

The removal of toluene and xylene from an artificial waste gaswas investigated in two laboratory scale biofilters filled withmixtures of peat, bark and wood. The packed beds differed in themixture of materials used, so that peat and then bark was thedominant constituent. The biofilters were operated in an upflowmode. Both biofilters showed relatively high removal efficienciesfor both pollutants (74–98%). The evaluation of the localelimination capacities in the peat-loaded biofilter revealed thatthe major part of pollutants was degraded in the middle layer.In this biofilter, larger differences in theremoval rates along the bed height were also observed. In thebiofilter with bark as dominant material, the major part ofpollutants was degraded at the inlet of the bed and also at arelative height of 0.7. Moisture contents of 71–80% and 65–78%were found for the biofilter with peat and bark respectively. Whenthe regular pouring of nutrient solution through the bed wasinterrupted for 1 month, a decrease in efficiency was observed inthe biofilter with bark, whilst the efficiency in the biofilter withpeat remained the same.     

Biodiversity patterns of nutrient-rich fish ponds and implications for conservation

Nutrient-rich water bodies are usually expected to host low species richness at the local scale (water body). Nevertheless, they can support a diverse and sometimes unique biodiversity when diversity is considered at a regional scale. This discrepancy between the two scales is well documented for natural water bodies, but little is known about biodiversity of artificial water bodies, like fish ponds. We hypothesise that nutrient-rich water bodies can collectively host high species richness at the regional scale. Thus, these are important ecosystems for the regional conservation of biodiversity. We investigated 84 fish ponds in the Dombes region, France, with five taxonomic groups: macrophytes, phytoplankton, macroinvertebrates, dragonflies, and amphibians. Species richness patterns were determined for α- (single pond), β- (between ponds), and γ- (regional pond network) levels. For most studied species groups, richness per fish pond and at the regional level proved to be relatively high in comparison with natural ponds in other landscapes. Contribution of α-diversity to regional diversity was highest for dragonflies with 41 %, and lowest for amphibians and macrophytes with 16 and 18 %, respectively. For macroinvertebrate families and phytoplankton genera it was intermediate. Contribution of β-diversity to regional diversity was similar for all species groups with 22–25 %. Furthermore, some ponds hosted a large number of less frequent species and some endangered species, indicating that the conservation of biodiversity of fish ponds must be established at a regional scale.     

Leaf litter input mediates tadpole performance across forest canopy treatments

Understanding the mechanisms limiting the distributions of organisms is necessary for predicting changes in community composition along habitat gradients. In many areas of the USA, land originally cleared for agriculture has been undergoing a process of reforestation, creating a gradient of canopy cover. For small temporary wetlands, this gradient can alter abiotic conditions and influence the resource base of wetland food webs by affecting litter inputs. As distributions of amphibians and many other temporary wetland taxa correlate with canopy cover, we experimentally manipulated shade levels and litter types in pond mesocosms to explore mechanisms limiting species performance in wetlands with canopy cover. Most differences between ponds were mediated by litter type rather than direct effects of shading. Although all three amphibian species tested are open-canopy specialists, spring peepers were the only species to show decreased survival in shaded ponds. Pond litter type generally had strong effects on growth and development rates, with tadpoles of two species in grass litter ponds growing to twice the size of, and metamorphosing 7 days earlier than, those in leaf litter ponds. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, shade level and litter type showed very few significant interactions. Our results indicate that the effects of shading cannot be considered in isolation of vegetation changes in pond basins when evaluating the effects of forest succession on temporary pond communities.     

轮虫培育池生态系统各有机碳库储量及其日变化

2001年5～6月对辽宁省盘锦光合水产有限公司的两种模式轮虫培育池有机碳库储量及动态进行了研究.结果表明,静水池溶解有机碳（DOC）和颗粒有机碳（POC）库储量平均值分别为5.69±2.90 mg·L^-1和24.56 ± 2.12 mg·L^-1;流水池DOC和POC分别为9.61±3.17 mg·L^-1和24.13 ±2.91 mg·L^-1.流水池和静水池TOC、DOC和POC的比例分别为 1∶0.75∶0.25和1∶0.82∶0.18.POC含量高的池塘DOC含量也较高.流水池的POC、DOC周日变动幅度大,静水池昼夜变动幅度小.流水池POC含量白天(5:00～17:00)升高,静水池降低,夜间(15:00～23:00)两池POC含量均降低.从23:00至次日5:00上升,两池分别在17:00和5:00达到高峰.白天(5:00～17:00) 流水池DOC/POC升高,静水池降低;夜间(17:00～23:00)两池均上升,23:00 至次日5:00则呈下降趋势.     

Phosphorus cycling in urban aquatic ecosystems: connecting biological processes and water chemistry to sediment P fractions in urban stormwater management ponds

Phosphorus (P) dynamics in urban landscapes may differ from that in natural landscapes due to different P sources and unique environmental conditions. However, many aspects of P cycles in urban areas, especially within engineered aquatic ecosystems, remain largely unknown. Through this work, we aim to contribute to better understanding of P cycling in urban aquatic ecosystems by investigating P fractions in sediment and their relationship with ambient chemistry in surface water from six urban stormwater management ponds located in Ontario, Canada. We found that organic P contributed up to 75% of total P in pond sediment, but this percentage decreased significantly between our two sampling events in June and September 2012. This decrease coincided with increased rates of extracellular enzyme (especially phosphatase) activities, which is indicative of fast mineralization processes in these ecosystems. Moreover, the decreased sediment organic P was matched by increased water column P concentration. This inverse relationship suggests that the large organic P pool in pond sediment, and its fast decomposition, contributed to internal release of P from sediment and increased water column P concentrations. The dominance of organic P in sediment and the putative role of relevant biological processes (i.e., decomposition and productivity) in urban ponds found in this study strongly contrast with classic water management expectations of physicochemically controlled P dynamics and long-term P storage in sediment of aquatic ecosystems. This difference suggests that urban stormwater ponds may perform poorly in terms of P retention and thereby contribute to poor water quality in terms of P pollution to downstream urban watersheds. Thus, stormwater pond design and future management strategies should consider these biogeochemical features of urban ponds, including internal P release, to help prevent eutrophication of downstream ecosystems.     

Relevance of Nitrospira for nitrite oxidation in a marine recirculation aquaculture system and physiological features of a Nitrospira marina-like isolate

In biofilters of recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS), nitrification by lithoautotrophic microorganisms is essential to prevent the cultivated organisms from intoxication with ammonium and nitrite. In moving-bed biofilters nitrifying microorganisms are immobilized together with heterotrophic bacteria in dense biofilms on carrier elements like plastic beads. Analyses of fatty acid profiles of these biofilms from a marine biofilter revealed a high abundance of Nitrospira-related lipid markers (8-12% of total fatty acids). Further results of a labeling experiment with (13) C-bicarbonate in mineral salts medium with 3 mM nitrite confirmed that Nitrospira is the major autotrophic nitrite oxidizer in the biofilter system. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses the nitrite-oxidizing community in the biofilter consisted of at least two different representatives of Nitrospira, one of which could be successfully isolated. The marine isolate 'Ecomares 2.1' belongs to cluster IVa and showed 98.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Nitrospira marina, whereas the enrichment 'M1 marine' is only distantly related (94.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to N. marina). In laboratory experiments, the isolate exhibited remarkable tolerances against high substrate and product concentrations (30 mM nitrite and 80 mM nitrate) as well as ammonium (50 mM). During the isolation process a strong tendency of this strain to develop biofilms became apparent. Thus, Ecomares 2.1 seems to be well adapted to the attached lifestyle in biofilters and the nitrogenous load prevailing in the effluent waters of RAS. Both members of Nitrospira could be detected by PCR-based methods in environmental samples of marine and brackish RAS biofilters and are therefore considered to be characteristic for these engineered ecosystems.     

Analysis of methanotrophic communities in landfill biofilters using diagnostic microarray

Biofilters operated for the microbial oxidation of landfill methane at two sites in Northern Germany were analysed for the composition of their methanotrophic community by means of diagnostic microarray targeting the pmoA gene of methanotrophs. The gas emitted from site Francop (FR) contained the typical principal components (CH4, CO2, N2) only, while the gas at the second site Müggenburger Strasse (MU) was additionally charged with non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Methane oxidation activity measured at 22 degrees C varied between 7 and 103 microg CH4 (g dw)(-1) h(-1) at site FR and between 0.9 and 21 microg CH4 (g dw)(-1) h(-1) at site MU, depending on the depth considered. The calculated size of the active methanotrophic population varied between 3 x 10(9) and 5 x 10(11) cells (g dw)(-1) for biofilter FR and 4 x 10(8) to 1 x 10(10) cells (g dw)(-1) for biofilter MU. The methanotrophic community in both biofilters as well as the methanotrophs present in the landfill gas at site FR was strongly dominated by type II organisms, presumably as a result of high methane loads, low copper concentration and low nitrogen availability. Within each biofilter, community composition differed markedly with depth, reflecting either the different conditions of diffusive oxygen supply or the properties of the two layers of materials used in the filters or both. The two biofilter communities differed significantly. Type I methanotrophs were detected in biofilter FR but not in biofilter MU. The type II community in biofilter FR was dominated by Methylocystis species, whereas the biofilter at site MU hosted a high abundance of Methylosinus species while showing less overall methanotroph diversity. It is speculated that the differing composition of the type II population at site MU is driven by the presence of NMVOCs in the landfill gas fed to the biofilter, selecting for organisms capable of co-oxidative degradation of these compounds.     

Ecological risk assessment of urban stormwater ponds: Literature review and proposal of a new conceptual approach providing ecological quality goals and the associated bioassessment tools

Stormwater ponds are a common feature of the urban landscape in many countries with advanced stormwater management. Built to control the impacts of urbanization in the form of increased runoff flows, volumes and pollution loads, stormwater ponds are exposed to strong anthropogenic pressures. Meanwhile, as open water systems, they represent new aquatic habitats potentially enhancing the biodiversity of urban areas and balancing the transformation of original ecosystems existing prior to urbanization. In the current context of sustainable development, assessing the ecological risks of stormwater ponds serving as aquatic habitats is therefore crucial for ensuring both the preservation and rehabilitation of biodiversity in urban areas. During the last decade, ecological risk assessments applied to stormwater ponds lacked adoption of integrated interdisciplinary approaches. This prevented advances in developing adaptive methodologies for assessing the ecological quality of stormwater ponds and for providing quality objectives for the management of these facilities. Also, the application of established integrated assessment methodologies, such as the Sediment Quality Triad widely used in North America, based on comparisons with reference sites, is challenged by the man-made features of urban stormwater ponds. The search for a more specific and effective methodology led to the proposal of supplementing the Sediment Quality Triad with the Oligochaete methodology, which was developed and standardized in France for determining the biological status of sediments in stagnant water ecosystems. The benefits of this approach are discussed in a conceptual framework providing ecological quality goals for urban stormwater ponds.     

Ponds and their catchments: size relationships and influence of land use across multiple spatial scales

The information on both the catchment land use and catchment area has the potential to be adopted into the conservation and management of ponds. There have been, however, few attempts to describe the effects of land use acting at various spatial scales on ponds and the studies were restricted to specific categories of ponds. This paper presents a study on 92 ponds distributed over a broad range of environmental conditions in Central Europe. We combined an extensive field survey and a detailed analysis of sediment and water chemistry with GIS-derived data to estimate the relationship between the area of the ponds and the area of their catchments, and to assess the relationship between pond physico-chemical conditions and land use across multiple spatial scales. Relating the area of ponds to the area of their catchments, we found a significant positive relationship (r = 0.72). Considering land use effects on pond conditions, catchment-scale land use was the only significant spatial extent influencing the physico-chemical conditions. Most notably, the proportion of intensively exploited land (arable land, urban areas) in the catchment scale was positively correlated with the deterioration of pond physico-chemical properties. The results of the study suggest that effective conservation of ponds cannot be achieved merely through the management of narrow buffer zones around them but should involve maintenance of less intensive land use within the whole catchment. Moreover, easily accessible catchment-scale GIS data could serve as a decision-support tool for cost-effective management strategies aimed at improving pond physico-chemical conditions.