Retention ponds are essential for flooding reduction and mitigating excess sediment and nutrient loads, thus enhancing freshwater quality downstream. After ~40 years since its last sediment removal project in the 1980s, the Duck Pond in Blacksburg, Virginia, underwent sediment dredging in 2024 from April to August. We collected surface water samples before, during, and after dredging to gain a better understanding of the fluctuating efficiency of nutrient retention in the pond. Differences in water quality above (Main Branch and Webb Branch) and below (Stroubles Creek) the Duck Pond were used to calculate percent retention efficiency and analyze downstream water quality. Grab samples and sensor data from 2021-2024 measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO43-), specific conductivity (SpC), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and water level. Hydrological parameters, including site depth, width, and velocity, were measured to approximate the average discharge entering and leaving the pond. We calculated nutrient fluxes from discharge and nutrient concentrations and evaluated the pond’s retention efficiency before, during, and after dredging. Pre-dredging, DOC, and NH4+ were higher downstream relative to inlets, while NO3- was lower, and PO43- was higher at Main Branch, and less variable downstream. Pre-dredging inlet-outlet differences were statistically significant for DOC, NO3-, NH4+, SpC, and CDOM (p<0.05). During dredging, NH4+ export increased relative to inputs. Downstream DO decreased and was more variable during dredging, and increased with water level (p<0.05). NO3- and SpC were generally lower downstream during dredging (p<0.05). Preliminary results show an exponential correlation between retention percent and discharge rates for NO3- and PO43- during dredging. Ongoing analyses will provide insights into the dynamics of nutrient retention and the changed efficiency of the Duck Pond in mitigating nutrient export downstream.