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Council hears report on shallow detention pond; dredging cost seen as high
Summary
Parks and public-works staff told aldermen the shallow detention pond has recurring vegetation problems; staff said managing vegetation with dye, herbicides and grass carp costs roughly $5,000–$7,000 per year and that dredging would likely cost in the hundreds of thousands.
City staff briefed the Board of Aldermen on recurring vegetation and sediment problems at a shallow detention pond that staff maintain as part of the storm system and adjacent park amenities. Sharon (city staff member) explained the pond is very shallow — “I think the deepest part is 8 to 2 feet” — and that sunlight reaching the bottom encourages excessive aquatic vegetation. She said staff have applied dye and eco-friendly chemicals several times this season, stocked grass carp periodically to consume vegetation, and estimated annual control costs at approximately $5,000 to $7,000 when labor is included. When Alderman Hill asked whether dredging would be more cost-effective than repeated treatments, Sharon said dredging would likely cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” and that the detention pond’s primary purpose is stormwater detention rather than park amenity. Staff said sedimentation from inlets is making the pond shallower over time and reducing capacity, and that dredging would be a substantial capital expense. No formal decision to dredge or to change pond management was made at the meeting; aldermen and staff described continued monitoring and yearly vegetation control as the current course.
