Parks department trying to clean up local pond

SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) – The city’s park department is working to clean up the Waterworth Memorial Park in Salem after nature has covered up the pond.

A large portion of the duck pond at Waterworth Memorial Park has a thin green layer floating on top. Duckweed, as it’s called, has taken over.

“Along with a variety of noxious and just various weeds that were overtaking it,” said Jacob Logan with the Salem Parks Department.

The duckweed has also become an eye sore, so the parks department started to find solutions to fix it, including non-toxic chemicals and — most notably — a fountain to increase water flow.

“And a natural flow of water will help increase oxygen levels in the water so things like the duckweed and the muck that’s at the bottom breaks up and is eaten by beneficial bacteria,” Logan said.

Along with bubblers to also provide oxygen, it’s a daily task to keep up with it.

“Because if we allow it to go one, two, three days too long, it really has major adverse effects to what you’re trying to do,” he said.

The department got a donation for another fountain on the other side of the lake. They want to work on areas that could erode and add more manpower to the lake.

“Provide more of a physical clean-up, skimming some of the duckweed off, which will allow us to gain control better,” Logan said.

The goal is to make it an attraction again.

“Eventually we would like to have the island reestablished, the bridge fixed and be able to make this kind of a destination that people would want to come for maybe senior pictures or maybe even small ceremonies that could be conducted on the island,” Logan said.

Logan says the duckweed is very weather-dependent. Those hot, dry days really help the duckweed grow.

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