Watch CBS News

Faulty Valve At Land Park Pond Contributing To Duckling Deaths?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - After a costly renovation project, issues are surfacing once again inside a pond at Sacramento's historic Land Park.  Some park volunteers and visitors say low water levels have caused multiple ducklings and goslings in the area to die.

The water is now rising inside Land Park's Boat Lake, but last week it was so low, baby ducks and geese couldn't get out.

"I was worried about them," said Land Park regular Danielle Radwyn.

Radwyn visits the baby birds often and says she noticed them trapped inside the pond.

"There was a bunch of little babies in the pond, but the parents were outside and I worried about them being protected and being taken by predators."

Rick Stevenson with the Land Park Volunteer Corp. said, "Obviously you don't want your birds dying."

A different park volunteer tells CBS13 over the weekend six hatchlings and two ducklings did die, while Stevenson says on Monday he watched a couple of goslings struggle.

"One of them had to try a half-dozen times.  He was peeping. He was quite upset."

Stevenson says the water was five inches below where it should be Monday,  but last Friday he says it was a foot low.  The 100-year-old pond reopened in January, following upwards of $400,000 and 16 months of fixes and upgrades.  Stevenson is at the park every day and says the low water levels were caused by a faulty valve that wasn't letting water flow in properly.

"Basically, people are all new and don't know where anything is, that's the problem," said Stevenson.

Just five months after being re-filled, conditions inside the Land Park pond are being questioned again.  Visitors say they're happy to see water filling back up before any more birds don't make it.

"It's good to see the little baby ducks around," said Land Park visitor Brenda Kirian.

Some volunteers say they're are also concerned about algae problems inside the pond and say they plan to bring all of the issues up to city officials during a community meeting on Wednesday.  CBS13 also reached out to city officials for comment, but no one was available.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.