- April 17, 2024
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Half of the fish in the Ames Park pond died early this month due to a crash in dissolved oxygen, the city confirmed after rumors circulated that the kills were a result of a herbicide sprayed into the water.
The dead fish were first noticed on Nov. 6 and cleaned up by the city’s aquatic weed control contractor, Edenfield Corporation, said Kevin Gray, public works operation manager in an email. The city ponds are shallow by design, Gray explained, and the Ames Park pond is fed by a well; Well water has no oxygen in it.
“If an oxygen source was put at the head of the system this would dramatically improve the quality of water there and keep this from happening again,” Gray said.
The fish died overnight when oxygen decreased due to lack of photosynthesis from sunlight, he reported. The several days of cloud cover and rainfall didn’t help.
The city has never sprayed the herbicide, Round Up, in ponds, said Ormond Beach Public Information Officer Jenn Elston in an email.
The pond was treated with an algicide the morning of Nov. 4, a routine treatment Gray said has been used for at least 15 years. If the fish kill had been a result of the algicide, it would’ve killed all the fish, and it would have happened immediately.
For future prevention, an artificial supply of oxygen using a $900 surface aerator, like the one at Rockefeller Gardens, will be installed at the park soon.
In light of an increase of fraud and scamming cases in the city, the Ormond Beach Police Department is asking residents avoid providing personal information or credit card information over the phone when contacted by a “debt collector.”
Police advise debts, if legitimate, be paid in person or online, and warn against paying a debt via gift card or Green Dot cards, a press release states.
Contact police if you have been affected.
With the annual Birthplace of Speed Gas Light Parade happening this Friday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m., vehicular traffic along the parade route should expect delays, police report.
The parade will start at East Granada Boulevard and Riverside Drive before continuing east to South Atlantic Avenue, and then south to Harvard Drive.
Eastbound traffic will be temporarily stopped at the base of the bridge when the parade begins.
Due to the construction of the Cassen Park floating dock, the city said on Twitter that access to the park is limited for the next two weeks.
Overflow boat parking will be available on weekends and holidays behind City Hall.
