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Underwater pump helps pond stay clean ASHLAND - Thanks to volunteer help, the waterfall is again flowing into Lithia Park's lower duck pond, aerating and disinfecting water that had become so stagnant it killed one of the park's famous swans earlier this year. Water quality consultant Paul Kay of Ashland designed and plumbed an underwater pump to create a waterfall beside the footbridge. The water trickles 20 feet down rocks, absorbing oxygen, which nourishes bacteria that break down bird waste, algae, bugs and food tossed in the pond to feed ducks, Kay said. United Rentals of Medford loaned the pump, valued at $400, Ashland Hardware donated materials at reduced cost and Kay donated his planning and labor. The Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission meets June 25 to determine a permanent solution, probably including purchase of a larger pump, Kay said. "It's a temporary fix to get some air in there and see how well the pond adapts," said Kay. "The bacteria haven't been able to do their job, so the commissioners said to get some air and movement in there to balance the ecology of the pond. It stirred up a stink from the gunk in there, but that should go away soon." The pond also needs a gravel bed covering 10 percent of the pond's floor, as habitat for friendly bacteria, he said. Kay will also present commissioners with options for the park's upper duck pond, including more plant life and an aerating system, perhaps in the form of a fountain, he said. The pond previously was oxygenated by a small channel from Ashland Creek, but park commissioners closed that off to reduce the pond's pollution of the creek and to allow more streamflow for fish. Stagnation set in, resulting in waterborne diseases that killed one of the pond's two swans. The surviving swan was taken to a nearby pond for safekeeping. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.