Lombard addressing concerns about 'unsightly' pond

Residents are complaining about the appearance of Terrace View Pond in Lombard after the village spent $1.3 million on a new pump station, storm sewers and other improvements to help combat flooding.

Despite the complaints, village officials say the project improved the pond's water quality, even though more duckweed and lily pads are now growing on the surface.

"We are aware of what has been deemed by some to be an unsightly condition," Director of Public Works Carl Goldsmith said. "It is our goal to manage that growth and improve the quality over time."

The additional plants in the water are "really evidence of a healthy pond," he said.

Last year, the village decided to lower the pond's water level by a foot to address flooding on nearby roads, including Crystal, Ridge, DuPage and Greenfield avenues and Elizabeth Street.

Goldsmith said the lower water level allows for an additional 4.2 million gallons of stormwater storage. The pond, he said, is the direct tributary not only for the streets that commonly flooded but for roughly 425 acres.

"It's a pretty sizable area that we've improved," directly affecting 70 to 100 homes, he said.

Construction began late last summer and was completed within the past two months, Goldsmith said. It included the installation of a pump station on the southwest side of the pond, twin relief storm sewers on the north side and eight aerators, among other improvements.

The village still is responsible for placing wetland plants along the shoreline, which Goldsmith said will be done soon.

"We've achieved the additional capacity for stormwater we hoped to achieve on the project," he said.

The village is now working with the Lombard Park District - which has owned the property since the 1970s and agreed to let the village do the work - to find solutions to improve the pond's aesthetics.

Goldsmith said those solutions may include increasing water movement, treatment through chemical application or other methods of removing unsightly plant life.

Along with the duckweed and lily pads, officials will have to address the increase of decaying or decomposing material at the bottom of the pond. The material, Goldsmith said, is getting more sunlight due to the shallower water, causing it to grow.

Besides the pond's appearance, there have been some complaints about changes in fishing conditions. Goldsmith said there are still fish in the pond, but the location never was ideal for the sport.

"It is not a lake, per se, that fish would generally find themselves in," he said.

Goldsmith hopes the village will form a plan with the park district in the next month to address the pond's aesthetics.

"I would encourage residents to be patient," he said. "This is an ongoing process and the village isn't walking away from the pond."