There have been some questions on “NextDoor Glenmore” regarding the July fish kill at Piper Pond. Here are the facts.

In the spring of 2019, the GCA was comparing notes with the Country Club on the costs to maintain retention ponds. The GCA owns four retention ponds while the GCC owns three. In 2018, the GCA spent $23,852 on our four retention ponds. The GCC spent $0 and reported no negative environmental effects. We asked Solitude Lake Management if the GCA had a pond that might need less maintenance which might reduce costs without impacting the ponds. Solitude suggested Piper Pond, so we reduced the maintenance requirements for Piper through July. 

On 14 July (the hot week) Piper Pond experienced a large algae bloom. On 18 July, Solitude treated Piper Pond with an algaecide, and by Friday the algae appeared to be under control. On Saturday, 20 July, we checked the pond to find a large fish kill (around 100 fish). On Sunday morning we were going to attempt to remove the dead fish by boat. However, when we arrived, we observed around 20 floating fish, and we cancelled the clean-up. We also noted that there were still fish swimming at Piper. By Monday, the dead fish were gone, and the pond looked normal with the algae bloom now abated. Bottom line … Piper Pond requires algae abatement. We we will return to normal maintenance in the future. 

Here are the answers to a few questions from residents:

QUESTION: Why was the Piper Pond fountain turned off? ANSWER: There is no fountain at Piper Pond. Only two of our retention ponds have fountains, Glen Lochen and Paddington Ponds.

QUESTION: Were the County and/or the State notified of the fish kill? ANSWER: We notified two Albemarle County offices and we are awaiting a response. 

GCA Retention Ponds Update … in June, we surveyed the number of retention ponds owned by the GCA. We found that we currently own eight retention ponds (three are in Q-2) versus the four that we originally reported. We also found that when the new K-2 and S-5 sections of Glenmore are transferred to the GCA, we will own two more retention ponds and eight retention bio-filters. That means over the next three years we will own 18 retention ponds and bio-filters. The GCA Board has developed a four-step process to manage the retention pond and bio-filter resources and is currently working with Solitude and Albemarle County officials to assess the resources required to operate and maintain all 18 water systems. In the near future, the GCA will request assistance from the community to plan and manage the entire water resources system.

If you are interested in a walking tour of the new retention ponds and bio-filters, contact twashington@communitygroup.com , and place “Retention Pond Walking Tour” in the subject line.