Burnaby’s Central Park ponds need drastic repairs: report

Big changes could be coming to Burnaby’s Central Park, as a staff report suggests the park’s ponds are collapsing and have become a risk to both people and animals.

In a report to Burnaby’s city council, it says the ponds were created 60 years ago. It adds they were dug and filled with sandbags and clay.

Since then, it says they have eroded past the point of repair and need a complete overhaul.

Coun. Maita Santiago says although the ponds look good on the surface, “there’s actually a lot going on underneath the water.”

“It’s just not a good area for wildlife. There’s a lot of water loss that’s going on…Basically, refilling the water in that pond once every five days, an amount [that is] equal to the Central Park outdoor pool. So it’s an incredible amount of water loss,” Santiago said.

Big changes could be coming to Burnaby’s Central Park, as a staff report suggests the park’s ponds are collapsing. (Angela Bower, CityNews Image)

The report suggests that not only are the ponds’ banks and edges collapsing inwards, but the stagnant water is “time-worn and polluted with excess nutrients that continue to cause algal blooms and fish deaths.”

“They are in need of a complete overhaul to achieve a biodiverse and compelling park amenity,” the report reads.

Maite Maldonado, a professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia, says when algae phytoplankton runs out of nutrients and stops growing, it can become toxic to its environment.

“They die, and then they sink to the sediment, and then when they sink to the sediment, bacteria are going to take over and they’re going to use that organic matter to make a living. And bacteria like us, they consume oxygen to make a living,” she explained.

Big changes could be coming to Burnaby’s Central Park, as a staff report suggests the park’s ponds are collapsing. (Angela Bower, CityNews Image)

Maldonado says large amounts of bacteria can remove oxygen from the water and that can affect the food sources wildlife rely on.

Burnaby city staff are calling for a complete rebuild, including a new water circulation system along with new structures like decks, boardwalks, and fencing.

The total bill could add up to between $14 million and $16 million.

The development of the plan is set to be discussed in the city’s 2024-2028 Financial Plan.

“We also want to hear from the public [and] others about what they’d like to see in their park and how they think we should proceed. And we want to make sure that we do it right,” Santiago said.

With files from Dean Recksiedler