$185,000 Cleanup Planned at Duck Pond

The once murky and odoriferous Civic Center Pond, drained by city workers last year after residents bitterly complained about its smell, color and safety to ducks, will cost $185,000 to clean and refurbish.

The small pond, just behind the regional library on Euclid Avenue, was drained after several ducks died in the water and residents became concerned about the health of wild and domestic fowl living there.

According to city officials, the pond’s waters were polluted by the large number of ducks living in the pond and the amount of bread and other things thrown in by residents feeding them. A poor drainage system installed when the pond was constructed 20 years ago added to the problem.

At the time the pond was drained last year, its waters were pea-soup green and emitted an odor residents and visitors said was offensive.

The $185,000 will pay for a new concrete bottom and drainage system, underwater jets to keep water circulating, a filtration system, and an automatic fill system.

City Manager George Tindall said $110,000 of the money needed is available in the parks budget, but the rest will be borrowed from the city’s contingency fund. It will be reimbursed with existing park fees.

Officials estimated that if all goes according to schedule, the pond will reopen by the end of the year.