Airdrie dry pond maintenance extended till next month

The Stonegate dry pond maintenance will now last until March. The closure was originally scheduled to end this month, but with recent warm temperatures, the end date has been moved to March 3.

According to Kevin Kerr, the Stormwater Coordinator with the City of Airdrie, the greenspace and walking path will remain closed during the maintenance crew's working hours, 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The pathway will be open before and after those hours.

Photo of the closure provided by the city of Airdrie.

Kerr explained exactly why the closure was extended.

"A big part of that work is running hauling trucks to get some of the cattails and sediment material out of the pond."

Stormwater ponds hold water that the culvert systems around the city can't hold if major flooding is happening.

For the city to do this work, they needed frost in the ground to withhold the weight of the hauling trucks.

"If we try to do that work when the ground is too soft, that ends up tearing up the grass and creating a much larger mess."

Kerr also stated this pond hasn't had much maintenance since it was built, so there's a large buildup of sediment and cattails that are growing at the bottom of the storm pond. It's important to do regular maintenance so the water can flow properly through the channel.

While some Airdronians have shared their anger on social media with the pathway closed, Kerr mentioned they try their best to keep everyone informed.

"We've been having chats with residents as they call in and we're trying our best to accommodate and make sure that we can get this job done in a timely matter while keeping everyone safe."

Kerr stated they have been working on this project on and off since last fall.

With the recent warmer temperatures, The Airdrie Fire Department is reminding Airdronians about ice safety with the recent warm weather.

Airdrie has a total of 55 stormwater ponds, and according to James Kostuk, Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention and Public Education, you should stay off of them at all times.

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