INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Retention ponds are a common feature in neighborhoods across Indiana, but they can pose a deadly danger to children. Two Indianapolis children have drowned in retention ponds in just the past month. Many communities are asking whether enough is being done to prevent these tragedies.
The Lawrence Fire Department was on the scene when a 19-month-old toddler was found in the retention pond at the 7000 block of McIntosh Lane on Indy’s northeast side. Adrian Douglas Breed Jr. later died in the hospital.
“It’s a tragic event, the family lost their son,” Marc Hickson of the Lawrence Fire Department said.
Democratic Senator J.D. Ford tried pushing for legislation to mandate safety barriers around neighborhood retention ponds in 2025. It required homeowners’ associations with children ages 1-4 to put up at least a 4-foot-tall fence or barrier, but it didn’t get a hearing.
“Unfortunately, this is the second child in a retention pond in central Indiana in just one month. At some point, we have to ask what we can do to stop families from experiencing the same, and that’s why we tried to pass this bill to help avoid families from experiencing the headlines.”
In 2009, former Republican State Senator Richard Bray also introduced a bill aimed at allowing the construction of safety barriers around retention ponds. That failed to become law.
Since those attempts, there have been no statewide laws for barriers around retention ponds in Indiana.
“It’s about asking adults, neighborhoods, and policymakers to make these environments safer. There is a petition out there, and I think second to that is to reach out to your state representatives and state senators and voice concerns about this type of issue,” Ford said.
Until a new law passes, the Lawrence Fire Department is urging parents to learn CPR and to teach their kids to swim. Hickson believes a safety barrier can prevent additional deaths.
“Just not apartment complexes, but anywhere, where there’s a body of water. It would be great if it were enclosed so access wouldn’t be as easy to get into.”
