Pond in Benton Park draining, threatening aquatic life

ST. LOUIS – A wealth of information has been uncovered surrounding a pond in a south St. Louis park that can’t hold water.

The scenic pond at Benton Park has repeatedly had severe drainage issues for more than 40 years. In spite of past major efforts to fix it, it’s running out of water again. Aquatic life is again in danger.

“It looks way prettier than I thought it was going to be,” first-time visitor Clinton Magnin of Lemay said. He was hoping to reel in a few fish Monday before the water was gone.

The water line could be seen along the side walls of the pond, dropping by the hour.

It’s been nearly 20 years since FOX 2 reported on volunteers rescuing fish and the rest of the pond’s aquatic life in August of 2004. According to media reports, a torn, rubberized liner was eventually replaced with concrete in a $700,000 project a few years later.

There are caverns beneath the pond, with sinkholes opening up along the bank this time. A sheen of moss is forming on the stagnant water. More and more debris is starting to surface.

“It is frustrating, but I do feel confident we’ve got a solution in the works,” park-lover and Alderwoman (Ward 8), Cara Spencer, said. “I’ve been in communication with our parks department on a weekly, almost daily basis at this point, to try and move this along as quickly as possible.”

She hopes the one-acre pond can be drained, repaired, and back to normal by spring.

The Missouri Department of Conservation stocks the pond with catfish and sunfish in a cooperative agreement with the City of St. Louis.

“I definitely think they should save it, give people something to do; sitting out, feeding the ducks or whatever, sitting around the lake…catch a fish, have some dinner,” Magnin grinned.

“The most important thing is that we have a long-term solution,” Spencer said.

The potential cost of that is still unknown, but the park dates back to 1866, and the pond with its two ornate foot bridges is certainly the centerpiece.

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