Crescent Park is supposed to be the crown jewel in the heart of Moose Jaw’s downtown, but its algae-filled creek is tarnishing the green space’s image.
During city council’s recent regular meeting, Coun. Jamey Logan said he strolled through the park and noticed the Serpentine’s stagnant water and green-hued tinge. He inquired about the creek’s status and whether city hall could do anything to fix it.
“We are experiencing a lot more than usual … issues with duckweed. We also have a lot of water weed,” said Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation. “Typically, we address that through aeration and having the waterfall going.”
However, city hall has run into the problem of the weeds clogging the in-take pumps, forcing city staff to find places to position the pumps while ensuring the weeds don’t affect them, he continued.
Meanwhile, the department needs to review many aspects of the Serpentine and will do so in partnership with the engineering department, as it analyzes the city’s overall stormwater network.
Blais noted that the depth of the Serpentine needs to be addressed, which would likely include a full dredging of the channel to return it to its original depth.
“(However), that’s not as simple as it sounds,” he said.
Large construction equipment would need to be called in to perform the work, which would damage the park’s pathways, forcing city hall to repair those and undertake major landscaping projects, Blais continued.
Furthermore, parks and rec would have to find some way to address the lack of fresh water in the Serpentine and determine how to pump in such liquid.
“… it’s not a cheap solution, but it’s something we need to look at, especially through the droughts we’ve been experiencing lately,” he said.
As part of its analysis, the engineering department will look at the connection the Serpentine has to Spring Creek and the water coming from the latter. Moreover, the city could apply chemical treatments to the water, but because it’s a natural drainage channel, it would have to discuss such moves with the Water Security Agency to ensure that water doesn’t enter the Moose Jaw River.
“Unfortunately, (there is) not any type of easy solution. Our staff are working to skim the top to remove some of the algae (and) the duckweed that’s present,” Blais added. “But it’s a losing proposition, so we backed off on that.”
Said Logan, “It is a big problem and it requires a lot of work to fix. And I know you’re working hard at it, so thank you for that. Certainly, we’re (council) all getting asked daily what’s happening there.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Aug. 28.
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