For four decades, Landen-Deerfield Park in Deerfield Township boasted a three acre man-made pond residents used for recreation like fishing. But it had a glaring issue: pollution couldn’t be kept out. That’s why the Warren County Park District transformed the pond into a natural stream and wetland.
The restored headwaters are expected to improve water quality for the nearby Little Miami River.
A problematic man-made pond
The project revolves around renewing the ecosystem at the headwaters of Simpson Creek, a tributary of the Little Miami River. After three years of planning and nine months of active restoration work, the wetland shed its construction fence and opened to the public last month.
The former pond that was there always struggled with undesirable aquatic species like algae, watermeal and duckweed, Matt Latham, executive director of the Warren County Park District said.
That’s because nearby development introduced nutrients into the pond that allowed these species to thrive.
“Modern lawns take a lot of chemical intervention to look pristine, and a lot of times those fertilizers are applied, a little indiscriminately,” Latham said.
“A lot of that washes off into our storm drains, and then eventually into streams like this one, and those extra nutrients really supercharge that algae growth and those other undesirable aquatic plants.”
A more natural system like a wetland can improve water quality.
“Science tells us that wetlands are useful in removing pollutants from water," Latham said. "And this is a very important watershed because it drains directly to the Little Miami River.”
It also posed a downstream flooding risk, since the dam valves weren’t functioning properly.
“We would have to have emergency response plans in place so that we could pump out the lake in a controlled fashion in case of an emergency,” Latham said. “So a lot of things that we had to do to protect public safety downstream and that we were accountable for.”
The project cost nearly $1 million, funded with the support of the H2Ohio program and American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
Nature approved
The pond was held back by an earthen embankment, or dam. Latham said the contractors moved the sewer grate that maintained the pond’s water levels lower on the embankment to reduce the volume of water the area could hold.
They also drained the pond, removed the layer of sediment at the bottom, reshaped the grading to form the stream channels and wetland pools, then planted 7,000 native plant plugs.
Latham said they even used the sludge at the bottom of the pond as fertilizer for the current system.
Nature was in agreement with the transformation soon after.
“One of the things that was really remarkable to us was how quickly the ecology bounced back once this system came online. Turtles immediately started to reappear. Ducks, frogs, minnow, tadpoles, and birds. Dragonflies, which are beneficial because they deal with mosquitoes,” he said.
“So we're really excited about how this area has just sprung to life after this project has happened.”
'Big change' for the community to get used to
The park district celebrated the ribbon cutting at the park on July 10. It’s the second most-attended park in the Warren County Park District.
The wetland is complete with trails, interpretive signs explaining the project, and nature play elements like stepping stones through the wetland. They even incorporated a smaller, quarter-acre pond that can be used for fishing.
“It is a big change. All change takes some getting used to, and we acknowledge that,” Latham said. “But overall, we think the project has been very well received by the community and you can see that evidenced in the people who are out here enjoying it today.”
Like Maineville resident Linda Adams, who visited a few weeks after the ribbon cutting. Adams, 79, has been coming here for the past 15 years.
“This is my first time since they finished it, but I've been watching them do it. And I thought, ‘this ain't gonna amount to much,’ but it really did. I really, really enjoy it, Adams said.
Adams said she knows there will be a portion of people who will miss the lake. But she suggests giving it a chance.
“I would suggest anyone to come up and see it. And if you just miss the lake, the flowers and the pollination is so much a part of nature. And what God has put into this world," she said. "And it's beautiful.”
