Brydon Lagoon will be getting a new $10,000 aeration pump to help circulate oxygen in the man-made pond.
Langley City council unanimously approved taking the funds out of the enterprise account and putting it into a new pump that should be installed by spring.
“The new pump is quiet and doesn’t require maintenance,” said Councillor Gayle Martin who put forward the motion at the Nov. 3 meeting.
“It has six air stations in several spots on the bottom of the lagoon and that should help with oxygen in the pond.”
Martin added that this decision is “not to diminish the work of the task force” put together after the massive fish kill that took place at the pond over the hot August long weekend.
After thousands of fish died, City council agreed that a special committee should be struck to look into the situation at Brydon Lagoon and offer some possible solutions.
The committee is made up of members of Langley Field Naturalists and LEPS, as well as the Nicomekl Enhancement Society and City of Langley representatives. Ducks Unlimited has also agreed to examine the issue and offer suggestions.
Councillor Dave Hall said paying for the pump now is a political move and “knee-jerk reaction” before hearing what the committee suggests. The motion by Martin was made just before the municipal election.
Committee member Rhys Griffith said his committee has no idea about this pump. Griffith wished Martin wouldn’t jump the gun before they could even consider the many suggestions the committee is looking at.
“We have testing that has been done to say this is more of an algae problem and the fix could be as inexpensive as $2,000 to $6,000 per year,” said Griffith.
The fish died because the water became too warm, and there wasn’t enough oxygen. It turned out one of the aeration pumps in the pond hadn’t been functioning for some time and the other had been turned off because it was too noisy and neighbours were complaining.
The LFN estimate the pond is roughly half as deep as it once was because of the sediment that is building up on its bottom through the decay of plant life and particles being washed in through storm drains.
Many have been asking the City to dredge the pond, but the City has never been keen on that approach because of its unknown price tag.
The lagoon is home to dozens of fish and bird species.
