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Ever wonder what happens to the turtles and fish that live in the picturesque, aquamarine pond at Sharon Park when it gets cleaned out? It’s a great question, and thanks to an Almanac reader who asked us, we now know.
According to Parks and Trees Supervisor David Mooney, when the Sharon Park pond is drained for cleaning, parks staff collects the fish and turtles living there and move them to the pond at the Burgess Park Civic Center.
When the pond has been cleaned and refilled, staff reverses the process, moving the aquatic creatures from the pond at Burgess Park to the Sharon Park pond.
According to Mooney, the ponds are cleaned annually during the warm months. During the cleaning, parks staff removes silt and sediment, and patches cracks and fills holes in the concrete as needed. On a weekly basis, staff cleans the filters, checks the pumps and removes items that get tossed in.
Mooney reports that the parks staff take “great care moving the fish and turtles and don’t experience problems when we have to transport them.”
And the reason the water in the pond is extra blue? It’s actually due to a non-toxic dye that gets added to the water to inhibit the sun’s rays from penetrating to the bottom of the pond, which would promote the growth of algae, Mooney explained. He estimated that the city spends about $4,000 to $6,000 a year on operations and maintenance at the two ponds.
Have other questions about Menlo Park? Email kbradshaw@almanacnews.com.
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Guest opinion: For Menlo Park's Measure P or not for P, that is the questionOctober 4, 2026 11:02 am
They haven’t patched the pond in years. This year, even though there are several holes in the cement liner for the pond, they haven’t indicated there is any plan to patch the holes or cracks.NSY7w
This picture was taken in 2009. They say the city cleans out the duck pond on an annual basis. That is hog wash. Until my father recently passed away in May 7th 2017 He and I went everyday to the duck pond for a very long time and became friends with the grounds keeper and staff. This pond which is suppose to be cleaned at least once a year has not been cleaned in at least 3 or 4 years. Shameful. The carp or koi are bottom feeders and the dirt, leaves and algae has been forming clogging up the storm drain and filters. Not to mention causing a big stench its spots where the water does not drain proper. So for the city to say they take great care in catching the turtles and fish and looking after their welfare well thats just a load of crap. By the time they drain the pond I hate to think how many dead fish and turtles are left behind. Probably a site no one wants to see. The city should take more care in recementing the duck pond not to mention cleaning it more often. Not every 4 or 5 years. Shame on themselves and we the tax payers are paying the city for the clean up.
We’ve been taking our dogs to Sharon Park for at least the last five years, every weekend. This is the first time in all that time I have seen the pond drained and cleaned. It takes six weeks, it’s hard to miss. Also, they missed at least 3 turtles that I saw.