Salem News: Spring Pond cleanup costs city $393,000
While there are certainly unanswered questions, and many more unsubstantiated rumors and claims/cross claims, surrounding the many years of intentional "overflow" dumping of water treatment sludge into Spring Pond... it is good to know that the work is complete and that the pond is back to its original state.
Here are some images from GoogleMaps and Maps.Live to refresh your memory of the situation. Click on each for a larger view.
The original intent of the (almost) $1 million dollar bond was not to just clean up the sludge, but to purchase new equipment and upgrade the facilities. I could not find the original estimates for each portion of the project, but I believe these numbers ($393,000) for clean up costs was in the estimated range.
For all the talk at the time, there has been little public discussion concerning the who, when and why this all happened from City Government. I would certainly be more in favor of a real investigation into this matter and a public airing of the findings. I feel this is important especially since so many wild allegations have been thrown around in the blogs and the street corners, ball fields and coffee shops.
So while I am glad this clean up in done, I would like to have seen the 'report' on the reasons we needed to do it in the first place.
21 comments:
Lower Spring Pond is not clean again. the ciy had to remove the waste sludge that they let willfully go in there. this pond is still a weed choked, stagnant body of water. it needs to be dredged & the water has to start moving again. real clean ! GO LOOK before you make false claims.
I disagree with your premise.
The reality is that the DEP (department of environmental protection) has reviewed the cleanup of the pond and declared it complete.
Thus the damage caused by the sludge has been removed.
Now, you may wish to see your version of a "clean" pond... one that needs to be clear of aquatic plants and has a high stream fed turnover of water, something that might make it more attractive to swimmers or even simply local homeowners, but the fact is that those are NOT determinants of a clean pond.
The "weed choked" and "stagnant" pond you are so unhappy about is more the natural normal state of most ponds. What you are describing is more like a swimming pool. Or a public recreation area.
And again, fine. If this is what you would like to see this pond become then you should petition the City Council and the Mayor to change the use of this pond from drinking water supply to recreational area.
But to say that it is not clean of the sludge damage while real experts have indeed certified it to be so... who is really making the false claims here?
disagree all you want but have you been there recently, end to end ? I doubt it !the sludge is cleaned up because the city "had to" clean it. thats one small portion of the pond. if it wasn't reported to the DEP it would still be there. that pond has been a mess for about 20 years now & getting worse every year. have you heard of Crystal Lake & the cost to clean that ? are they trying to make that a "swimming pool" as you stated ? Spring Pond is about 5 times bigger.
I'll be waiting to see how you defend the city when children playing at McArthur Park get the West Nile Virous or Triple E.GO LOOK ! if you think hat pond is "clean" you need glasses or you just refuse to say anything negitive about this great city.
Your idea of "clean" is NOT a natural one.
I suppose you also think that the Everglades are in need of "clean-up" as well.
The fact is that if plants did NOT want to grow in these WATER SUPPLY AREAS... you would not wish to drink the water.
I know that the City was dumping the sludge in the pond - and I have asked for an investigation into WHY this happened (re-read my post.)
But this is NOT about WHY... it is about the sludge that was dumped... and now is cleaned-up.
You are seriously confusing nature and natural with your personal idea of what a "pond" should look like for human visitors.
I am looking at this water supply area for what it is supposed to be and not as a public play area.
And to say that it will become a breeding ground for sickness and disease is really just showing your incredible ignorance and desire to cause panic in your fellow citizens.
YES. Mosquitoes breed in water.
YES. Water is found in ponds.
YES. Mosquitoes can breed in ponds.
But they can also breed ANYWHERE you have standing water (think potted plants, old tires, trash containers, ANYWHERE!
I have no problem with your wishing for a different situation at this pond. Like I said before, if you want it to become a recreation area so you can go swimming... call your City Councilor(s) and try and get the ball rolling.
But I do object to you coming in here and (in essence) yelling FIRE! when there is absolutely no reason to do so.
I don't know where the above anon is from, but it can't be the Springs Pond area. Granted there are a few spots where trash tends to build up, but these are where it's being tossed by passers-by or blown in on from the neighborhoods. If this bothers you, then get off your bottom and pick it up rather than complain. There are no weed choked areas and it is openly flowing on both ends. Try taking a walk and checking things out for yourself before you sound the alarm next time.
GO F YOURSELF ! I walk around that pond almost everyday. if you can't see that the pond is choked with weeds & stagnant your as blind as PI. go back a few years and look up the email Mr Rick Bettencourt, Conn Com, sent to every councilor & the Mayor. I suppose he just "yelling fire" too. go to the end near Sunset Drv, the water IS NOT flowing, it is a disgrace. just remember all the bullshit you two are saying, when us taxpayers get the bill to dredge the pond maybe you can kick in a little extra. it will be huge. Everglades ! what an old fool !
Keep the language in check anon. Disagree all you want but this is not a place for hard language.
That being said you offer nothing except for the fact that the water isn't moving. I question just how much that end of Upper Spring Pond ever moved... but it doesn't really matter. These are wetlands and to do any type of work to change what they are naturally would require approval and expense.
And your big 'issue' with it was that the mosquitos that will surely breed in the water will cause disease and pestilence to afflict our youth.
If that is the case we need to remove EVERYONE living within 500 yards of any body of water or other source of standing water for fear they will soon die due to mosquito attack.
I did keep the language in check didn't I ? beleive me I'm controling myself.
your wrong again about it being upper Spring Pond. it's lower Spring Pond that the city polluted with waste sludge,not upper. you don't even know what pond your arguing about.
if you have been at Spring Pond years ago IT DID flow,from upper Sping Pond right down to the treatment plant. the city blocked it up (there is a valve they can open in between the ponds) since then the pond is weed choked,stagnant & getting worse every year. GO LOOK!
how come upper Spring Pond,Browns Pond,Barts Pond & many others in this area don't look like that ? because the water flows somewhere.
let me fill you in on another fact you don't seem to know. mosquitos DO NOT breed in moving water. the water has to be still or STAGNANT !
you can make all the idiotic statments you like. until you go & look at what a disgrace this pond has turned into, don't comment on it.
Earlier anon, my apologies if I hit a nerve...there are a small handful of folks who have done a wonderful job cleaning parts of this pond up over the spring and if you are among them, you are to be commended for your efforts. That being said, lets lay down a few "factual" facts. The spillway between Upper and Lower Springs Ponds has always been a controlled flow (at least for the 35 years I've been around). If it wasn't, then the City would run out of water around July each year. I did take the kids for a walk today and can report the following. The upper spillway was just a trickle, but this is nothing new...it's a reservoir and they can't very well let it all run out now can they. The lower spillway is overflowing as Lower Springs and Fountain Ponds are presently full. There are no weeds growing in the water. There will be lily pads in the summer, but they've always been around. There is plant life along the water's edge, but again, this is normal and is no greater than it has ever been. There are areas of litter, but they're centered around the park and behind the old Brown School. The water is clear as we stood at the edge watching a couple fish and there were several families of geese. Is there room for improvement...of course there is. However, appearances would have me say that things are certainly no worse than they've ever been and I'd actually be leaning towards better than normal. There are reed covered areas at Upper Springs, Brown and Sids Ponds, but none at Lower Springs...would you suggest we drain or dredge these areas too or can we simply let nature do her thing. If FOPL is out there, maybe they could chime in on the pond's condition and put your fears to rest.
I was indeed wrong about the name. We all make tiny mistakes now and again.
About the language thing... no, you didn't go to far in your language but it seemed headed in that direction so I was trying to 'not go there' if you will. there are a few others who are pushing the envelope (and my buttons) with childish behavior and I have learned long ago to act sooner than later.
As for the Friends of Peabody Lakes (FOPL), are they still around? Their website has gone missing and I rarely see any mention of them in the news. I was a member of their site but never received any info about its closing or events...???
FOPL is interested in Crystal Lake, thats about it.
wait awhile till the water level drops a little this summer then take another look. you'll see how weed choked it is. does anybody remember that email from the Con Comm ? AGAIN ! was this guy just yelling fire ?
Anon:
If you have a copy of this email and forward it to me I will publish it here.
peabody_insider@yahoo.com
It is my understanding that the small spring was deemed unacceptable for usage prior to the treatment plant being put on line. With the treatment plant it only makes sense to open the valves to the small spring and use this water, thus causing less WASTE of a tightening natural resource and helping to keep this once pristine (because the water moved) from being a future swamp.
P.S. the small spring IS choked with weeds and a suggestion was made to view this bdy of water at a time of lower water levels. Good idea to view this bady of water at different times for a better picture. I may be a newbie to the area, after all it's only been a 35 years of enjoying this resource for myself and children.
it's actually been about 25 years since the city stopped the water flowing through to the pumping station (now the treatment plant). thanks to a Mr Sytes, he was the director before Carnevelle. the word "stagnant" shouldn't be used to discribe our drinking water.
The treatment plant was put online long before I hit the scene. Based upon the age of the building, I wouldn't be surprised to hear it's been around for 75-years and there weren't any EPA guidlines back then.
If people really want Lower Springs to return to its glory days then fill the whole thing in since it is man-made to begin with. I may take a few hits for saying so, but personally, I enjoy living within walking distance to this pond and consider it as a local treasure. If the DEP says it's safe then that's good enough for me and I don't need to see some outdated letters which have since been addressed. If there are recent tests to the contrary, then let's hear it...I'm sure the City has to perform regular test so the data would exist. As for the flow, stand on the bridge and watch the current passing between Lower Spring and Fountain Ponds...it sure looks plenty strong to me. The other end has always had stagnant areas due to the peninsulas placed for the since removed power lines. They've been there for many decades and nothing has changed. If more water were released from Upper Springs, then it would simply run out to the ocean (eventually) and we would be suffering this summer as we couldn't replenish from the Ipswich River until next winter. Every decision has consequences and I'd rather have water running out of my tap than postcard pictures...though I think it looks fine as is.
just minor corrects anon. First, the treatment plant is not near as old as the building. the building your are refering to is the OLD pumping station for the city water supply, it houses the treatment plant. Second, with a treatment plant the water that is suggested by some here to flow would not be wasted as it would go through the treatment plant and be used. The water currently going into this Fountain Pond is being used fpr what i ask? If it is not being used as a drinking water supply than in fact I believe it is not only being wasted but helping to create a natural resource that may well soon be nothing more than that swamp some have mentioned here.
For those that have still not walked the pond being mentioned and maybe even for some that do, please walk the entire pond, NOT just down the easily accessible back road covering less thean half the area.
I agree ! go to the end where upper Spring Pond is, stand on the platform in front of the block house (vavle house)& take a look at lower Spring Pond. theres NO water flowing,(it use to) all the crap collects at that end, it's stagnant & smells like a swamp. these conditions may be fine some little pond in middle of nowhere but this is our drinking water. the city knows about this & should be doing a better job.
I lived near the Upper/Lower dam as a kid in the 70's and that area was always filled with garbage. Even on days when the water was allowed to flow through, this area would see very little motion because it is off to the side of the natural flow due to the land formations. The flow was controlled even back then as I can recall many times climbing beneath the building up to the sluiceway. The pond must've been lower than it is now because I'd get awfully wet if I tried that today...must've been in the summer when the level drops...too many years ago, but good memories. I'm not sure why, but all the growth was chopped down along the earthen dam last fall which still has the area looking poorly. They chopped down all the growth at the other end by the bridge and most of the walkway has caved in due to the erosion from the waves (more than half the width is gone in one area). This probably wasn't the City's smartest move as they'll have to either repair the damage or eventually close it off again.
Anon:
Thanks for your remembrance of the pond. It brought back memories of my own from a time when summer meant months of exploration and adventure... and the world was just waiting for me to find it all.
Please check out springpondwoods.com
There is a new immediate threat to the waters and connecting wetlands, which a new Lowe's and expanded Super Wal-Mart proposes. The topography of the landscape is the same in this situation, where the site slopes down to Spring Pond.
http://www.springpondwoods.com/2010/07/salem-public-hearing-july-15-2010.html
There has been serious environmental crimes reported...
http://www.springpondwoods.com/2010/06/polluter-watch-2nd-environmental-crime.html
I have been walking springs pond since I was 16, (2006) and it has not changed. Little springs has always been a place where u know not to fish, swim etc. As said before it is exactly what a pond should look like, and big springs has major pumps that every so many hours start the movement of water. I was homeless in 2010 and slept there for 3 months because the pond supplied food and water , the wooded area provided wood for fire to keep warm cook and repel bugs and the ground next to the water supplied a good place for shelter. Please tell me what you could think is wrong with it at all? It does what it is meant too.Go ahead judge me, i'm young and have been homeless. Educate yourself before you choose to do so. The trash needs to be cleaned up, but other than that it is a healthy, natural area that provides everything needed to sustain life, including PEACE from the crazy world this earth has become!!
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