BOISE, Idaho — A series of recent improvement projects are aimed at raising the quality of the water at several local ponds popular for swimming and wading.
The work took place at Quinn's pond and the ponds within Esther Simplot Park, which have been the site of E. Coli outbreaks in the past.
Workers installed a series of aerators at the bottom of Quinn's Pond and the Esther Simplot ponds. The devices are designed to move the water around and increase their oxygen levels, limiting bacteria growth by keeping temperatures down.
"Our hope is that we're churning the water to a point where the temperature is staying consistent throughout the whole body of water and is not that breeding ground for that bacteria that forces us to close the pond," Doug Holloway, the director of Boise Parks and Recreation, said.
Visitors to the ponds can expect to see some slight changes to the pond water's color and temperature as the aerators are turned on in the next few days.
In addition, a pipe has been installed from the Boise River to Quinn's Pond to increase water flow and cycle water throughout the series of ponds.
Veterans Pond in Veterans Memorial Park will also function as a swimming pond beginning this year, which means dogs will no longer be allowed in the water. Dogs are already barred from Quinn's Pond and Esther Simplot Park.
City officials issued a reminder that unlike municipal pools, the ponds are not treated with chlorine. The ponds undergo weekly testing to monitor E. coli, algae and bacteria levels and will be closed if bacterial levels are found to be too high.
Past E. Coli outbreaks have been linked to dog and geese feces in the water, although human feces can also spread the bacteria. In addition to banning pet dogs, the city has also acquired a ground sweeping machine to remove goose feces from the area.
The city will also use a trained dog and dog handler to harass the geese, encouraging them to settle elsewhere.
Visitors to the pond can do their part by leaving their dogs at home, never feeding geese or ducks, and making certain that children are wearing swim diapers. People are also encouraged to shower after swimming, not go into the water if they have been sick, and clean up all their trash.
Since the efforts are new, it's now a waiting game to see what the actual impact will be.
"We won't know until we get into the heat of the summer and get into the high use of the ponds by our users, we'll get a good idea at that point if whether or not all these remedies are actually working," Holloway said.