An Investigation into the Health of Peacock Pond

PeacockPond FAQs

Bob Campbell, Director of the Wheaton College Physical Plant,has provided the following information concerning Peacock Pond

"Thea are around the pond is not generally treated withpesticides, but we have usually fertilizedChapel Field in the spring and fall.Not this past year however as we knew the construction would takeover the area.

"No algaecides or fungicideshave been added to the pond in the 10 years that I have been here.We do however use an approved colorant to darken the pond waterto diminish the amount of sunlight that gets to the pond bottom.

"We did not significantly drainthe pond this year. We did lower it some 12 to 1 inches for afew weeks to let the contractors penetrate the wall for area drainagerelated to the Arts Project water management program. There wasno dredging this year at all. The last dredging was last summerand then only in the area between Chase Square and the dam area.Several hundred hundred yards of "muck" was removedwith the approval of the local Conservation Commission. Beforethat there had been no dredging of materials for probably 5 yearsor so when we did the area between the bridge and East main Street.At that time "muck" was removed down to rather hardpond bottom. During both operations the material was thought tobe rather rich in nutrients both from Goose/duck waste as wellas vegetation waste (rotting leaves). The material was soft enoughas to not be able to be easily dewatered. It would spread outbefore being able to dewater.

"The pond has never been officiallystocked with fish. It is thought that local individuals have broughtfish that were caught elsewhere. To my knowledge we have bass,sunfish, , a few seldomly seen catfish (hornpout), turtles ofvarying size (some quite large) and perch. I have some koy availableto use but have not put any in the pond.

"As a point of interest we have not experienced any sortof large fish kill when lowering the pond. Most of the dead fishthat have been killed are as a result of local fishing where thefish were treated too roughly while being caught and released.

"We do aerate the pond mostsummers in order to keep it oxygenated. [SeeNote] I'm not sure whether that is a good idea or not. I havealso thought that loss of goose populationhas accelerated our algae bloom as I believe the geese feastedon that material and deposited it on our sidewalks and fields.Perhaps Dee is a mixed blessing. Ihave no idea if that is accurate or not , but it is an ongoingthought.

"Last year was the first thatI had seen where the bloom was significant enough to try and remedythrough removal of material. It was also the first summer thatwe were almost totally without geese. This year's "bloom"seems smaller than last years. That could be weather conditions,water temp or the fact that we didn't fertilize adjacent areas.

"As part of your pond study, it would be helpful to knowjust where the nutrients come into the pond and in what quantities. One engineering firm suggested thatthey could monitor inflows and give us that answer as well asa management plan. Copper Sulfate has been mentioned as an effectivealgaecide that could be used, but to date we have avoided theuse of any chemical. We did look into the purchase of a triploidfish that is renowned for its appetite [of] algae and weeds. Unfortunately(?) this fish is illegal in Massachusetts as it is felt that sterilizationcan not be guaranteed. It is legal and used in several statesand the fish is stocked at the rate of 5 or so per acre if I recallcorrectly. It has been known to actually leave the water to goon the bank for vegetation.

"I know [President Marshall] is also interested in studentparticipation with this problem I had planned to try and removesome of the material before the students arrive back, but I willleave things as they are for your class study.

In addition, Mr. Campbell has letthe fountain off for the whole week to help you evaluate the pond.

This page is maintained by Laura Muller

Last updated September 22, 2000