Treatment pond - Definition and Overview

A Treatment pond is a small lake-sized body of water designed to treat fouled water by anaerobic bacteria. It is largely used by dairy farms and horse- and cattle-holding sheds or barns to handle animal effluent so that it can be returned to the paddocks as fertilizer and irrigating water. Small-scale treatment can be done in small ponds if the effluent is given sufficient time to be broken down into harmless nutrients, however, these smaller ponds may have to be divided in much the same manner as septic tanks.