Canberra Urban Parks and Places (CUPPS) are carrying out investigations into the water management of Eddison Park pond and as part of this will be holding a public meeting to discuss options for ongoing management of the pond. The details of the meeting are as follows:[teaserbreak]
Date: Saturday 27 November 2004
Time: 10.00am – 11.30am
Location: Eddison Park pond, enter from Launceston Street opposite Canberra College Woden campus.
(In case of wet weather, the venue will change to Woden Youth Centre, on Callum Street opposite the Bus Interchange.)
Woden Valley Community Council values the amenity of this pond in Eddison Park . It provides an extra dimension and an extra amenity in a lovely park. Woden has a paucity of water features and the Council considers that any diminution of the pond would be regrettable.
Eddison Park Pond has been allowed to dry up over the last couple of years because drinking water, which was used in the past to top it up, has not been readily available after recent drought and fires. The ducks, water birds, fish and aquatic life have disappeared and we have been left with a muddy depression. WVCC thinks there may be other options, apart from drinking water, to allow it to be retained at least at its current size. For example, water from the concrete drain to the east of Eddison Park might be used to fill and generally maintain the water level in the pond. A relatively straight forward ‘fill and cut-off’ mechanism could be installed as part of this underground pipe system from the concrete drain to the east. The pond might also be deepened or extended to counter the impact of evaporation between periods of rain.
The community will have other suggestions, and we encourage as many as possible to bring their ideas and concerns to this meeting
Maybe the Eddison Park Pond matter should be considered together with the issue of the ‘naturalisation’ of Yarralumla Creek which was flagged with the release of the Woden Town Centre Master Plan. This may avoid a possible piece-meal approach to Woden’s water features.
We would encourage people to come to this CUPPS meeting to discuss these issues further.