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CLOUDY Temp: 58 °F Wind: WNW at 7 mph Saturday, June 1, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend May 29, 2002 Lithia Park duck pond has fleas The little crustaceans are hindering plans to clean up the pool in Ashland By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND — "Water fleas" have thwarted efforts to clean up Lithia Park’s lower duck pond. Parks commissioners will consider whether to employ natural or mechanical means to take another run at the problem. Odors and a murky, green appearance were supposed to disappear with quarterly emptying of the pond into the city’s sanitary sewer. But the fleas — small, aquatic crustaceans known as daphnia — caused problems at the city’s wastewater plant when their population exploded. "I think they are kind of stymied as to what to do because of the daphnia problem," said Commissioner Sally Jones. "The staff is supposed to come back with different possibilities." Conditions in the lower duck pond have been a problem since regular water flow from Ashland Creek was cut off when three small dams were removed in 2000. A female swan’s death last year may have been caused by poor water conditions. A male swan has been relocated. Parks commissioners will probably meet either June 4 or 5 to consider alternatives and make a decision. Water consultant Paul Kay offered to build a natural filtering system for $20,000 with a money-back guarantee. But parks commissioners also directed staff to explore mechanical systems when they met May 20. Kay would install the system and not accept an initial payment of $10,000 until the bottom of the pond becomes visible. He’d accept a second payment of $10,000 after one year if visibility is maintained in all seasons with only short-lived periods of reduced clarity. Kay has voluntarily worked to improve conditions at both the upper and lower duck ponds in the past. Under Kay’s plan, a 160-square-foot "reef" with visible plants would occupy part of the 8,000-square-foot pond. The plants, bacteria, fish and snails would create a process that would clear the water. The reef would be made from synthetic aggregate. It is manufactured for use in French drains (trenches typically used to drain water away from buildings) and septic drainfields, where it is less likely to become clogged than gravel. It could be installed while the pond remains filled. Kay estimates it would take about a week to install the reef. A pump was installed last fall to allow draining. Portland consultants URS Corp. had recommended the procedure. When the pond was emptied both in January and last fall, daphnia emerged at the treatment plant when eggs got through filter screens. The problem could result in a waste discharge violation. Parks officials have also looked at chemically treating the water prior to dumping it into the sewer. Even with treatment, dumping would have needed to take place every two weeks. "That was not the thing to do," said Jones. Research on pump and filter requirements is under way, said Steve Gies, park superintendent. A mechanical process might also include ultraviolet light treatment of water to kill algae and bacteria. A cost for mechanical treatment hasn’t been determined. Zoos use filter systems to keep their ponds clean, Gies said. "You have a relatively small pond with a lot of ducks. It’s a special circumstance," said Parks Director Ken Mickelsen. "People who build backyard ponds have ... maybe one or two ducks." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S