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Lithia's ponds stagnate photo by Bob Pennell By JOHN DARLING ASHLAND - The future of Lithia Park's famed swans hangs in the balance as city officials meet Monday night to set guidelines for cleaning up the fouled duck ponds. The City Parks and Recreation Commission will hammer out goals for the ponds, so as to give direction to water quality specialist Paul Kay, who is donating his services to purify water in both lower and upper duck ponds. The pond's stagnant water has been linked to the February death of the pond's female swan from pneumonia and fungal infection. The surviving male was taken away to safety at the nearby Mountain View Retirement Center. The Commission will wait until mid-summer to address the issue of whether swans should be in Lithia Park at all, said chair Rick Landt, but first it must plan and install water cleanup systems to be developed by Kay, who has volunteered 40 hours of his time to the project. The lower pond was drained and dredged last month in preparation for Kay's improvements. The system he envisions will not require the draining and dredging, which have been an annual park chore, Kay said. The lower pond for years drew water from Ashland Creek and drained back into it. A small dam, which supplied pond water, had to be removed last summer to aid fish passage. That, and the 1997 flood which damaged an upper pond pump, have led to stagnation in the ponds. The commission Monday will decide pond criteria based on cost of setup, cost of maintenance, aesthetics, pond clarity, educational opportunities, and water and energy use. The impact on ducks, other "pond critters" and Ashland Creek will also be considered, said Landt. The city should make its decisions about cleanup methods by the end of June and have them implemented in six to 12 months, he said. "After that, we'll deal with the swans. There are good reasons for and against bringing them back. On one side, do you put animals in an unnatural setting as basically 'zoo animals' and who require a lot more care than natural animals like ducks? On the other side, they bring a lot of joy to people. It's really a values issue." The Parks and Recreation Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at Ashland City Council Chambers. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.