A windmill-powered aeration system could improve the survival rate of fish over the winter in Martensville’s Kinsmen Park pond, according to a business owner who has been stocking the water body with fish for the past several years.
A proposal by Phobia Auto Care owner Steve Cusson to install a windmill aerator at his own expense is scheduled to be voted on at the Martensville City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 18. The proposal was discussed at the city council committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, May 11, with a majority of councillors speaking in favour of the idea.
The city has allowed Cusson to stock the publicly-owned pond with fish because it provides opportunities for recreational fishing in both summer and winter. However, anecdotal evidence suggests few fish are able to survive the winter because of lack of oxygen.
In a report to the May 11 meeting, Martensville Recreation and Community Services Director Ted Schaeffer said the pond was not stocked in 2020. Earlier this spring, Cusson approached the city’s recreation department with a proposal to set up a windmill aeration system for the pond, similar to what many farmers across the province use to aerate dugouts. The system does not require electricity.
Aeration would improve the survival rates of stocked fish, improve water quality and reduce algae, reduce the mosquito population and reduce foul odours from the pond.
However, it also has an impact on ice thickness in the immediate area of the diffuser, an underwater mechanism for circulating oxygen.
Schaeffer told council in his report the project could potentially impact the safety of winter activities on the pond, including skating, shinny and ice-fishing due to thinner ice conditions created by aerating. However, the thin ice is restricted to a very small area directly above where the diffuser sits on the bottom of the pond.
To mitigate the danger, the ice in the immediate vicinity of the diffuser would be fenced off and the ice thickness of the pond would be monitored frequently.
If the aeration system is installed at Cusson’s expense, the city would have to be prepared to assume responsibility for future maintenance of the windmill and underwater aeration system. The city would also be responsible for costs of safety signage and fencing around the area with thinner ice.
Kinsmen Pond is catch and release only. The city follows provincial guidelines, so a fishing license is required and anglers are required to use barbless hooks.