The UNM Grounds and Landscaping crew spent its spring break cleaning the Duck Pond after years of abuse by passersby who inadvertently muddied the pond's water by overfeeding its wildlife inhabitants.
Feeding the ducks and goldfish bread, a common occurrence at the Duck Pond, led to more than four feet of sludge accumulating on the pond's bottom, endangering the animal's lives and making the water unsightly, said Gary Smith, associate director of UNM's Environmental Services Department.
"Many people would throw a whole loaf of bread into the pond not realizing it was causing more harm than good," he said. "The bread contains phosphorous and nitrogen that, when turned into the animal's waste, would sink straight to the bottom."
Smith said the pond's cleaning was well overdue, and hadn't been done since 1998.
"Let's just say I lost lots of sleep worrying about the condition of the pond before we cleaned it," he said. "The water was in bad shape. It smelled bad and had been treated badly by a tremendous number of people."
But, he said, the task was daunting to say the least. Removal of the sludge required the transfer of the pond's 5,000 goldfish and two water pump trucks had to be called in to remove the 12,000 cubic feet of water.
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Smith said the number of goldfish in the pond had grown to at least 15,000 before the University gave more than 10,000 of them away to interested people last week. The pond is also home to more than a dozen turtles and at least 50 ducks, but enough water was left in the pond to allow them to stay during the cleaning process.
The job required full-time work from five employees all week, bringing with it a price tag of more than $3,000. The work done by the pump trucks cost an additional $2,000, Smith said.
"My husband and I enjoy studying by the Duck Pond almost every day, and for a while there, the water was looking pretty bad," said senior Amy Jones. "The Duck Pond is a big part of UNM. It deserves the attention necessary to keep it looking good."
Smith said he is looking to make the cleaning of the pond a regular event to keep the job from becoming overwhelming. He said, though, that the future of the Duck Pond and its inhabitants depend on the willingness of community members to quit feeding them.
"We feed the animals a balanced diet," he said. "I know they are just trying to help, but it's making our job harder."
