A couple photos and a video clip from our dry fire hydrant flow testing work earlier in the week in Berks County, PA. What caught our eye was the condition of the pond, especially the riparian buffer area around the pond. This buffer zone is really important to pond health especially in an area where turf grass is grown. The buffer controls sediment run-off as well as slowing down excessive nutrient run-off which can accelerate the demise of a pond...at least from the fire protection water supply perspective. Even though this pond was a couple feet low, it was still in very good condition and the dry fire hydrants worked just fine. Kudos to the property managers on resisting the urge to mow right down to water's edge.