Parks and green spaces are essential for the environment, public health, economic development, and social equity. However, parks are often one of the last items on the budget or one of the first places to see funding cuts. Fortunately for the citizens of Red Oak, the city considers Parks and Recreation an essential service department just as we think of the Public Works department or the Public Safety department. Public parks enhance the quality of life for citizens and visitors and having one nearby creates a desirable location for businesses and families.
The City of Red Oak’s Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for planning, developing and maintaining all facets of the parks system. Per the city website https://www.redoaktx.org/232/Parks-Recreation, “Maintenance plays a crucial role to ensure the perpetual and continual function and operation of the parks, trails, and recreational services provided by the department. High-level maintenance is crucial to exceed the expectations of the community while keeping our visitors safe.”
Pearson Park, located at 200 Lakeview Parkway, has recently been the target of some of this high-level maintenance. The lake at Pearson Park is not only a beautiful asset to the community, but it also serves as part of the storm water system. During rain events, it collects the water and moves it away from residences and streets to prevent flooding.
The storm water runoff coming into the lake carries excess loads of sediment, trash, and other debris. Over time, this sediment accumulated to an average of 1.5 feet throughout the northern one acre of the pond (the inlet area). In addition to lowering the holding capacity for storm water runoff, excess sediment accumulation is a hot bed for the growth of aquatic plants, making it hard to manage and reducing water quality.
Poor water quality and invasive plants at Pearson Park
Because the lake is an integral part of the many community activities held at Pearson Park, and because it does collect storm runoff from nearby roads and residential areas, the restoration needed to be done without taking the lake offline. To do this, a multifaceted work plan was developed that would offer the following benefits:
reestablish the shoreline,
remove nutrient rich sediments and increase water depth,
improve water flow,
restore water holding capacity of the lake,
get rid of debris and invasive plants,
improve water quality,
and create a balanced aquatic ecosystem for both plants and animals.
In the first stage of the project, an amphibious machine with a variety of implements was used to remove invasive aquatic plants and other debris. The amphibian was able to cut, rake, dig, and transport the plants to an onshore stockpile to be loaded into roll-off dumpsters provided by Community Waste Disposal. After the plants and debris were removed, accumulated rocks and gravel were removed from the inlet to improve water flow.
gravel removed from inlet to improve water flow
At the same time, a hydraulic suction dredge was deployed to remove the finer silt and sediment accumulation in the rest of the shallow inlet area. Via the hydraulic dredge, sediment is “suctioned” from the lake bottom. This mixture of sediment and water, called a slurry, is pumped through a temporary pipeline to an onshore dewatering tube. The tube is manufactured to filter the water from the slurry, and the filtered water is returned to the lake. The sediment remains in the tube until dried enough to be repurposed in the landscape.
“The dredging area exceeded 33,000 square feet in the 5-acre lake and was the first-time dredging has been performed in this area of the lake. We have had two heavy rain events since the dredging was completed and the quantity of trash and debris left behind after each rain event is substantially reduced. I attribute this reduction in debris directly to the dredge work performed in this area of the lake.” --Kyle Kelley, Parks and Recreation Director
The result is a beautiful, well-maintained lake that can be enjoyed by all who visit Pearson Park for its many amenities including FISHING, walking trails, bike trail, picnic areas and playground. But most importantly, the water holding capacity has been restored to mitigate area flooding.
Shortly after the dredging was completed, Texas Parks and Wildlife stocked the lake at Pearson Park with over 2600 trout for a community fishing event. Catch-A-Trout is a City of Red Oak annual event that introduces kids to fishing and awards prizes for the most fish caught in each age group.
restored for stormwater retention and recreation.
by Tammy Perry
