Written by: Matthew Orquia
The City of Collegedale recently renovated the pond located along the Wolftever Creek Greenway and near Main Street. According to Eric Sines, the city’s director of Public Works, the pond had not been worked on for many years, and debris that had settled at the bottom of the water needed to be cleaned out.
Last November, the city dredged the pond with an excavator and carried away the debris in trucks. Some trees that surrounded the pond were removed because they were preventing grass growth and dropping debris into the pond, according to Sines. Other trees around the pond were trimmed to allow more sunlight into the area.
According to Sines, the domestic ducks that usually inhabit the pond were moved so the project could be completed. The fish and turtles in the pond were moved to the nearby Wolftever Creek. The pond was restocked in December and January.
“All pond wildlife was humanely relocated,” Sines stated in an email to the Accent.
Although wild ducks and Canadian geese sometimes occupy the pond based on their migration patterns, some of the domestic ducks living at the pond had parasites that were harming the fish, which is why they were not returned, according to Sines.
He added that the pond was also drained into Wolftever Creek for the renovation. After completion, it was refilled with rain water and a nearby water main leak.
