Cleaning of Country Pond – phase two
Phase two of the Country Pond cleaning began over the Whit weekend under the direct supervision of the Forestry Division within the Department of Agriculture. On Sunday June 5th trees that were grossly overarching on the eastern side were pruned and truckloads of the debris were carted off to the landfill. On Thursday 9th the trees that were overarching the Country Pond Dam (known by most as Country Pond West) were pruned. A dam is a structure that is built to conserve and store excess water or run-offs from ecosystems such as ponds, lakes, rivers or streams. They are built to provide water when it is needed for human consumption, to irrigate vegetation and arid land spaces, for Industrial processes, to mitigate flooding and in other Countries dams provide the water needed for Hydroelectric Power.
Hitching a ride on the long boom excavator, the National Solid Waste employee using a chain saw went to work on the Mahogany trees and the Bromeliads (locally known as “Old man Beard”). Bromeliads are epiphytes, these are plants that grow without soil. Plants like Orchids, Ferns or Spanish Moss growing high in and on the canopy of trees above the ground, some also grow out of rocks and other hard surfaces like concrete and boats. They are often thought of as parasites they are not, they are simply plants that grow on the surfaces of hard things for support.
The Director of Agriculture is very pleased with the project thus far, “This initiative demonstrates what we call the “One Government Philosophy”, meaning that several agencies from diverse ministries have come together to achieve one common goal, and that is the preparation of the Country Pond Area for social purposes and functional purposes as it relates to Disaster Preparedness “, said Director Bailey. Thereafter, the area was dredged and the materials extracted were mainly sediment and debris. This will increase the holding capacity and prepare the western end for the Hurricane Season so that the effects of flooding in the surrounding areas would be minimized. “Using heavy equipment such as a backhoe, an excavator and a few 20-tons trucks which we were able to utilize to remove a lot of gut sand and loose litter which was blocking up the mouth of the pond”, said Marc Southwell (NSWMA Bulk Waste Supervisor)
Proper cleaning of the pond and surrounding areas, the adjustment of landscape levels and contours then the rectification of drainage scheme were all stages in phase one. It was estimated that sufficient material was extracted to fill at least twenty-five twenty-ton trucks. Phase three can be expected upon completion of this phase!!!!
