Friday, May 4, 2012

City of Langley Starts Pond Management Study

In the City of Langley there are three ponds that have a combination of either ecological, recreational, or engineering significance: Brydon Lagoon, Langley Seniors Resource Centre Pond, and Sendall Gardens Ponds. Over the years, these ponds have been filling up with silt and there has been calls by many in the community to have the City take an active role in managing them. In early March, the City started the process of developing a management strategy for these ponds and is working on a report which will be delivered to Council later this year.

At last night’s Parks and Environment Advisory Committee, we heard about the history of the ponds and some of the issues surrounding them. Brydon Lagoon started out as a waste water treatment pond that was decommissioned in the late 1970’s which now serves as a limited storm water retention pond, wildlife habitat, and a very important park of Langley’s park system. Because of its original purpose and the buildup of silt, its use as a storm water retention pond and wildlife habitat are diminishing.

The Langley Seniors Resource Centre Pond started its life has a storm water retention pond that is now important as part of the park system and for wildlife habitat. Because of silt buildup, it is no longer an effective storm water retention pond which may have other negative effects on the Nicomekl Floodplain.

The Sendall Gardens ponds where build by the Sendall’s to basically look pretty and have importance as part of Langley’s park system. The consultants working on the management strategy report had a hard time referring to one of the ponds as a pond as it is more of an enlargement of the creek that flows through the park. This pond is in the wrong location and nature doesn’t want a pond there.

Over the coming months, the City will be consulting with its citizen on the management strategy.

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