October 23, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Water test for Pastorius pond ‘falls through cracks’ at PWD
by JOEL HOFFMANN

A request made in early August for the Philadelphia Water Department to test Pastorius Park pond for contaminants has “fallen through the cracks,” according to Mike DeSanto, facilities manager for the Fairmount Park Commission.

In August, DeSanto said that pesticides and weed-killing chemicals were flowing into the pond from surrounding properties, but he did not think it was an imminent health risk. The chemicals were raising nitrogen levels, though, and feeding the growth of algae.

He asked PWD to analyze water samples for contaminants because it had been a few years since the pond was last tested.

DeSanto said he did not see algae flourishing when he visited the pond last week. He expected algae to die off in the cooler weather.

Still, the pond water is moving slowly and the moat is full of mud — with beer bottles scattered in some sections.

The pond’s three water-circulating pumps were not functioning properly over the summer, which raised concerns of stagnation, but DeSanto’s crew repaired the pumps.

DeSanto admitted that the pond could use a better aeration system, but that would cost $80,000, according to Peter O’Connor, president of Friends of Pastorius Park, a nonprofit group committed to keeping the park clean.