Now both ponds are full of sediment and muck, Metzger said.
“It’s been happening for as long as I’ve worked for the township, but it became more accelerated over the past decade, to the point where, in the summer, you walk right across it,” he said. “It certainly is not fishable anymore and not healthy for aquatic life.”
The velocity of uncontrolled water runoff from annual storms has caused extensive siltation in Turtle Pond and substantial erosion into Heron Pond, Metzger said. Siltation has reduced the water level in Turtle Pond to less than one foot and led to five feet or more of accumulated muck, “creating a blighted image in the park,” he said.
In addition, stream bank erosion threatens the safety of patrons and the structural integrity of the RecPlex facility, located adjacent to the stream.
Township trustees approved a contract with R.B. Jergens Contractors Inc. on Jan. 8 for the dredging and revitalization of the ponds for a total approximate cost of $1,993,919. Work is slated to start on Turtle Pond this month and wrap up by spring. Work on Heron Pond should be complete by late summer.
To date, $400,173 in Clean Ohio funding has been secured for Turtle Pond, with an additional $220,863 anticipated for Heron Pond in March, according to a township report. Staff will make an additional funding request from Clean Ohio for $372,231 in February. If approved, Clean Ohio funding would account for a total of $993,267 of the overall cost.
The ponds will be be dredged of silt and sediment and a new wetland will be created along the borders of each to create “a more natural transition” from land to water, Metzger said.
“It’ll be better for the aquatic life and it’ll encourage fishing population,” he said.
Future silt accumulation will be prevented with the installation of a forebay basin and controlled outlet structure that improves the velocity and quality of stormwater runoff, Metzger said.
A decaying bridge at Heron Pond will be replaced, and an all-abilities fishing pier will be installed at Turtle Pond.
The project will restore the pond to the quality once associated with it, create opportunities to provide water-based activities and improve the safety, comfort and convenience of park patrons interested in those pursuits, Metzger said.
That includes a “Noon Optimist Fishing Derby,” a decades-old annual competition for children held in cooperation with Centerville Noon Optimist Club. The event once attracted more than 250 young anglers to Turtle Pond’s banks, but attendance has declined to fewer than 100 participants in recent years because of deteriorating pond conditions, he said.
If the project is not undertaken, Turtle and Heron ponds will continue to deteriorate, threatening the Holes Creek Watershed and the availability of those natural resources for future generations, Metzger said.
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