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.
