New Castle to Take Steps to Restore Pond After Fish Kill
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
New Castle officials are taking steps to combat large amounts of growth of organic material in Gedney Park Pond that has covered much of the water’s surface with green scum and killed scores of fish.
Last week, the Town Board addressed the issue with Dennis Corelli, the town’s environmental coordinator about how to clean the pond and prevent a repeat of the problem.
“This was a growth that kind of came up out of nowhere,” said Robert Deary, the town’s comptroller who last week filled in as the deputy town administrator. “I think in 2023, we identified it could be a problem, then we thought maybe we wouldn’t continue to have a problem, and then with the warm temperatures and some other factors that maybe Dennis could go into, we were kind of overrun with the growth.”
Officials identified a three-step plan to clean the pond and restore it to a healthy waterbody. The first action would be a bathymetric mapping to understand how much growth there is in the water, followed by hydro-raking the pond. After that, an ongoing maintenance program will be needed to keep the pond clear.
Corelli said this year there has been enough growth and the degradation of the plant matter after it goes through its life cycle consumes the available oxygen in the water.
“This year, not only did this situation reappear but there was enough growth that actually stimulated a noxic condition – that’s the term – that produced the fish kill,” Corelli said.
He said that this is not a problem that is unique to New Castle. Many of these types of ponds were carved out of wetlands or streams and nature often wants to revert back to its original form, Corelli added.
Supervisor Victoria Tipp said the town must address the situation and follow it up with regular maintenance to ensure the pond remains healthy. The Town Board needs to find out how much ongoing maintenance will cost, but that it is something the town must be willing to do.
“But it’s important enough to the community to have Gedney Pond,” Tipp said. “Everyone loved the pond and we want to see it continue as a pond even though nature is saying no, we want this to come back and be a wetland. So, in a way, we’re kind of fighting what nature does.”
She said the work will be done as soon as possible.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
