Russom Park visitors hoping to enjoy some aquatic activity inside the park grounds will soon be out of luck.

The pair of unintentional bodies of water caused by the defective storm water drainage system will soon disappear, as Dowagiac City Council approved measures to correct the issue earlier this week. The city has agreed to pay between $25,000 and $30,000 for work to reconfigure the two retention ponds located on the city’s half of the property, following the recommendations of an assessment by engineers with Wightman & Associates.

“This plan calls on us to raise the pond on the northern most area, take the pipe and reverse the flow slightly,” said City Manager Kevin Anderson. “We’ll raise that, put sand and stone at the bottom of that pond, then dig a larger area at the southern area, so the water will have a lot more exposed area to the sand.”

The issue of higher than expected water levels within the park’s ponds has been discussed by members of the council for the last several months. The original design called for the bodies to drain accumulated rain
water within 24 of storms; however, a number of issues have arose since its construction, including the higher than average water table caused by the frequent precipitation this year.

The city initially considered installing fences around the structures in order to deter kids and other visitors from using the makeshift bodies of water, with purchasing and installation costs running around $15,000, Anderson said.

“The dilemma with fencing is, after a couple of years, they never look good,” he said. “It’s hard to control the weeds in and around them. They catch all kinds of garbage. They also make great things to jump and climb over.”

A portion of the project’s price tag is eligible to be covered by the $17,000 left in the Department of Natural Resource’s grant awarded to the city for the park, Anderson said. The remaining $13,000 the city will have to spend out of pocket will still be less than the costs for the fencing, Anderson said.

“It’s a whole lot cheaper than a lawsuit,” said Councilmember Charles Burling.