Snow bank and debris a 'pile of pollution' at Governor's Pond, walkers say

Cody MacKay · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Rain, shine, frost or fog, Ray Campbell walks by the small pond adjacent Government House successful Charlottetown each day.

And erstwhile helium looks astatine the snow, garbage and pavement pucks piled up close beside Governor's Pond, helium sees conscionable 1 thing: "An eyesore."

"It conscionable looks similar a heap of pollution," Campbell said. "The snowfall has droplets of oil, anti-freeze, the brine from the bottommost of cars, and it's seeping into the watershed determination wherever the ducks and different animals [and] creatures live."

He said helium contacted radical with the provincial authorities who helium thought could get it fixed up. That hasn't happened yet. 

Along with chunks of pavement, a walk around the pond reveals bits of plastic, pizza boxes, java cups and different assorted grime.

"Nobody seems to beryllium sticking up for the creatures down present successful this small pond," Campbell said. "Somebody has to quack for the ducks. It mightiness arsenic good beryllium me."

Other radical who locomotion astir the pond and walk clip watching the ducks said the aforesaid thing. 

'We request to instrumentality this benignant of happening seriously'

Fouad Haddad walks the country with his woman and canine arsenic often arsenic helium can. He was taking pictures of the ducks conscionable earlier helium talked to CBC News.

"I was calved and raised successful this neighbourhood. I emotion this," helium said, looking astatine the pond. "I'd similar to spot adjacent amended drainage and attraction for this small situation that the birds have.

"It's ever bully to spot the ducks here. A batch of radical bask their view," helium said. "The snowfall pile-up ... it should beryllium piled up determination other and trucked away. Absolutely."

Regina Russell besides visits the pond regularly, taking pictures and sharing them connected societal media. Coming down and watching the ducks is simply a item for her.

Seeing the blackened snowfall banks and debris piled up?

Not truthful much.

"I didn't recognize they were banking the snowfall there, oregon what was in the snow, but I ideate it would beryllium thing that could beryllium perchance harmful for the pond," she said. "We request to instrumentality this benignant of happening seriously."

'Urban ponds are regularly affected by runoff'

A survey from 2019 looking astatine the h2o prime and creatures surviving successful ponds successful Charlottetown had prime words for Governor's Pond, calling the ecological wellness of the pond "very poor."

The Ellen's Creek Watershed Report Card from 2023 had akin findings, giving Governor's Pond a "fairly poor" standing regarding the fig of organisms successful the water. That translates to "significant integrated pollution," the study said.

According to the province's Environmental Protection Act Watercourse and Wetland Protection Act regulations, waterways like Governor's Pond are expected to beryllium protected from dumping wrong a definite distance.

Unless the due licensing is done, the regulations accidental nary idiosyncratic shall "dump oregon infill, oregon deposit soil, water, mud, sand, gravel, stones, rubbish, litter, rocks, aggregate oregon worldly oregon objects of immoderate kind" wrong 15 metres of a watercourse oregon wetland boundary."

In a associated connection to CBC News from the Department of Environment and Department of Transportation, the provincial authorities said it follows guidelines and it's "not concerned" with stockpiling snowfall adjacent the pond during wintertime months.

"Urban ponds are regularly affected by runoff passim the twelvemonth owed to their proximity to parking lots, roads, etc. and this 1 is nary exception. Given the magnitude of aquatic vegetation increasing successful the pond, and duck broods utilizing it implicit the past fig of years, the pond appears to beryllium rather healthy," the connection reads.

"Snow removed during plowing is not pushed into the pond but is near astatine the borderline of the parking lot. Transportation and Infrastructure unit routinely cleanable up litter and/or debris from the snowfall heap during immoderate melt periods, followed by a much broad clean-up each outpouring earlier the country betwixt the pond and parking batch are re-seeded for grass."

Campbell is among those who say the solution would beryllium to cleanable up the piles of snowfall and debris astatine the pond now, and successful the aboriginal heap it into trucks and dump it in a ample batch connected Union Road — which is wherever galore trucks spell to instrumentality tons of plowed snowfall retired of the capital. 

Asked whether determination should beryllium an environmental assessment, Campbell said he'd similar to spot any money that would spell to that benignant of exercise be utilized alternatively to move the piles. 

"Just cleanable it up," helium said. "Just bash it."