Dirty Waters
By Robin Vinci | Editor at June 30, 2024 | 2:19 pm | Print
City Searches for Ways to Clean Pond
Following inquiries from members of the New Britain City Journal Facebook group concerning the condition of the Stanley Quarter Pond, City Officials spoke of the need to have the pond dredged.
On Tuesday Mayor Erin Stewart along with members of Public Works were at the park as it was being cleaned for the Great American Boom happening July 4.
“Part of the problem is the algae growth from the geese and the invasive weeds that are coming in,” said Michael Thompson, general foreman for the City. “Being such a mild winter this year the weeds have blossomed pretty good.”
The City is asking the State for a permit to dredge or chemically treat the pond. This would get rid of the algae.
The City is only allowed to do mechanical cleaning which involved rakes cleaning the top of the pond. This will only make the pond look cleaner for a few weeks.
“A lot of your readers have been commenting on Facebook and wondering what is going on. We also had a lot of phone calls into my office,” said Mayor Stewart. “There are certain means we have to do to take care of the pond and they are not ideal. The one thing we really need to do is dredge it and it will cost upwards of $1 million to do this one pond. With the budget situation the way it is, it is not an easy thing to do. We are trying to find other creative ways to get around it. We are reaching out to environmental protection to see if there are lake and pond grants available.”
The last time the park was dredged was in the early 1970s. About 5 years ago the edges were done and since then the vegetation has taken over.
The aerators are not working and the fountains cannot work because of the weeds clogging it.
“There are two non-invasive species growing in the pond and they are sucking the oxygen out of the water which is creating a massive algae growth on top,” said Stewart. “We have to find means to get rid of it. It is not as easy at it seems. No matter how many times we skim the top, it will come back up.”
Erik Barbieri, director of parks and recreation, said there are too many nutrients in the water.
The official problem is called Eutrophication. It is the process where there is an oversupply of nutrients, mainly phosphates.
“The problem is the geese. The feces are full of nitrogen and phosphorus,” said Barbieri. “They are not helping the problem as they are the main contributor. Their fecal matter can also carry Ecoli and other nasty stuff.”
The pond is 6 1/2 to 7 acres and it costs about $100,000 per acre not including permitting, hiring architectural engineering firms etc. to dredge it.
“What we really need is a watershed management plan. There are companies that do that type of work,” said Barbieri. “An assessment would be a first step and costs about $50,000. We are looking into grants, but due to the financial situation at the state some are not being funded”
The City is also looking at federal grants that will tell them what is in the water.
“We need to find out exactly what is in the water so we know how to go about fixing it. Because of the growth in the bottom, it is forcing us to dredge it,” added Barbieri. “The growth makes the pond shallower. Fish are still surviving, but it is a concern that could inevitably be a problem.”
Stewart said she will continue to look for funding avenues to fix the pond even though there is nothing in the works at this time.
“We are doing everything that we can, but we are trying to live within our means,” said Stewart.
