Frustrated: Neenah waterfall remains dry as contractors encounter another glitch

Question: Will Neenah ever turn on the waterfall at the Harrison Street stormwater pond? It's been years of empty promises.

Answer: I wrote about the troubles with the limestone waterfall a year ago.

At the time, Neenah was waiting for the delivery of a meter socket for three-phase electrical power that is necessary to run the pumps for the waterfall. The socket had been on back-order for six months.

Public Works Director Gerry Kaiser said the socket eventually arrived and was installed.

When the contractor tested the system last week, another problem arose.

"They have some error code that's popping up on the controller that they have to track down to get the pumps functional," Kaiser said.

Everyone involved in the project is frustrated, Kaiser said. He didn't want to predict when the cascading waterfall might be operational.

"I honestly don't have a good guess for you," he said.

Watchdog Q&A: Duke Behnke answers your local government questions

Construction of the $1.8 million regional stormwater pond started in 2021. The project was estimated to take one year before it was slowed first by labor and supply-chain issues and now by technical glitches.

The excavation of the pond was completed in February 2022, and the retaining wall on the west side of the pond was finished in October 2022. The storm sewer connections were made in January 2023, so the pond has been functioning since then, minus the waterfall.

Stormwater ponds collect runoff and then release it at a steady rate to a nearby body of water, in this case the Neenah Slough, which is known as Neenah Creek within city limits. Stormwater ponds not only control flooding, but they also improve water quality by allowing pollutants and sediment to settle out before the water is discharged.

Because the Harrison Street pond is visible along Winneconne Avenue and across from Washington Park, engineers designed it to have more aesthetic elements and features than a typical stormwater pond. A concrete patio overlooks the waterfall, and a walking path lines the perimeter.

The project has issues beyond the waterfall that need to be resolved. The grassy area on the north side of the pond contains a row of clay, which Kaiser said was left by We Energies when it installed a service line.

The flowerbeds on the west side of the pond also need attention. Tulips were planted in the spring. Once they died off, the beds were supposed to be seeded with annual flowers, but they appear to be mostly dirt and dead grass.

"We're going to be looking at something that's a little less maintenance," Kaiser said, "and looks better year-round."

Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Frustrated: Neenah waterfall remains dry as contractors encounter another glitch