Wednesday, May 9, 2012

George Road Pond Drained

- By Carl Steckler

Many people noticed that the pond on George Road in Dryden has been drained. I talked to Mary Ann Sumner, the Town of Dryden Supervisor, on April 13. The action that resulted in the draining of the pond was taken because the blocked culvert and accompanying backup was threatening the bank of Virgil Creek. The creek is a protected trout stream, and the town was more or less forced to take the action it took. The William George Agency (WGA), the owner of the pasture, has been asking the town to fix the problem since it first occurred and has no plans to keep the pond permanent.

The area is too small to qualify as a protected wetland. The New York State Department of Environmental Con- servation (DEC) defines a wetland as having a minimum of 12.7 acres. So as it stands this land will revert to a pond during the rainy season and a dry pasture the rest of the time. I talked to the CEO of the WGA, and he said that the agency was happy that the problem had been solved. They plan to use the land for pasture.

I then talked to the DEC, and they informed me that the Town of Dryden committed no violation in fixing the threat to Virgil Creek, which resulted in draining the George Road pond. Unless someone has some pull with WGA, it looks like the pond will be but a fond memory.

On another note, The Town of Dryden is planning a recreational park to the north of the Town Hall and would welcome input from the birding community. I will have more information at the May Cayuga Bird Club meeting

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