Posted on May 18, 2017
Center Springs Pond, which is choked with sediment and algae, will not be dredged this year as planned because the initial cost estimate was far too low, town officials said Monday.
Originally projected at $500,000 to $750,000, the cost actually will be $1 million to $1.2 million, General Manager Scott Shanley said.
The six-acre pond was last dredged about 20 years ago, and the water quality has worsened steadily as sediment builds and algae blooms lengthen, depleting oxygen. The sediment includes sand, bacteria, pollutants and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
The town has $500,000 for the dredging, part of a $12 million bond issue that voters approved in November 2015. But several factors have affected the project’s price and scheduling, Town Engineer Jeff LaMalva said.
Dredging will require building a gravel “haul road” to put the excavator within reach of all areas that need to be cleaned out, LaMalva said. About 15,000 cubic yards of sediment is to be removed, more than originally estimated, he said. The mid-1990s dredging was not completed, LaMalva said, and sediment is deeper on the steeply sloped, hard-to-reach southern side.
Initial plans called for town crews to do much of the work, but because of the wider scope of the project, their role would be diminished, LaMalva said. The project also has been delayed because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently denied the town’s application for a grant, Shanley and LaMalva said. Officials said they will continue to seek grants, including going back to the Corps of Engineers.
Much of the material to be removed is sand that ran into the pond from surrounding roads. Town crews no longer sand roads after snowstorms. Testing has shown low levels of hazardous substances, so the material can be spread at the town landfill, LaMalva said.
The dredging could be done next year, he and Shanley said. Post-dredging maintenance is to include regular removal of sediment from the pond’s “forebay,” the area where Bigelow Brook enters, LaMalva said. Also, after the dredging, the pond could be stocked with fish, a long-term goal of the town recreation department, officials have said.
Source: Hartford Courant
