The board of directors and management have recently received multiple inquiries about the pond at the park. This is a seasonal problem that happens nearly every summer. The current vendor is working diligently to resolve the surface algae as quickly as possible. We are also including pictures for comparison from the summer of 2021 and currently.
History: The original design and permitting did not include this pond as a wet pond. The city is responsible for the functionality of the pond.
The aesthetics and aquatic spraying are the association’s responsibility. The board is exploring options for long term aesthetics; however, these are likely over $100,000 and would need to be funded by an increase in annual assessments or a special assessment.
At this time the board is working closely with the vendor to have these problems treated without incurring any major additional expenses and if this is not effective, they will then explore other options as mentioned.
Below are some considerations in relation to the pond aesthetics:
- Aeration is not beneficial to resolve algae removal due to the depth of this pond.
- Another option is dredging and/or digging the pond deeper. This requires engineering plans, permits, along with approval from the City and St. John’s Water Management.
- Circulators are an option but could cost upwards of $10,000. The board is in the early exploration stage of this.
- Herbicides can be used; however, are limited based on the depth of the pond.
- Another option that would be an exorbitant cost is scraping off the algae manually, but this would likely return within 15-30 days.
- The board has investigated adding fish; however, grass carp do not eat algae and any fish added would likely be taken off by birds.
- Stormwater runoff feeds into that pond.
- Ducks can contribute to the algae problems.
