Council bosses say repairs to the pipes that feed water to the South Inch pond are complete. It comes after the boating pond at the popular Perth park completely dried out this summer. However, it will take some time for the pond to re-fill, since it is supplied by the Craigie Burn, and needs the water levels there to be high enough.
Meanwhile a second Perth pond, at Norie-Miller Walk, remains empty. Specialists have been brought in to get to the bottom of the problem there. Locals have been raising the alarm about the state of the ponds at both beauty spots.
Passers-by have reported seeing dead water birds, where once there were swans and ducks. Others have been recalling when the South Inch pond was filled with rowing boats and families enjoying the fresh air. The Courier contacted Perth and Kinross Council with in the middle of July.
Locals said they have never seen the water level so low. The pond is owned and operated by the council, and is supposed to be topped up with water from the Craigie Burn. Perth and Kinross Council later confirmed local suspicions that the issue was caused by a blockage in the infill pipe.
The council has to abstract water from the Craigie Burn under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. But there are limits to how much it is permitted to take each day. This is to protect the Craigie Burn itself.
The Courier raised similar at the end of July. They are normally one of the most popular features of the Norie-Miller walk beside the River Tay. But they currently contain no water.
And the resident ducks and other wildlife are nowhere to be seen. There were complaints when the Norie-Miller ponds dried out in 2018. On that occasion a pump had broken down, forcing the resident water birds to move on after the fish they had been feeding on died.
Speaking this week, Perth and Kinross Council said it was taking action at both sites. “Repairs to the pipes that feed the South Inch pond have now been repaired,” said a spokesperson. “And it will refill when the Craigie Burn is high enough to pass water through to the pond.
“We have appointed a specialist contractor who will look at what is causing the issue at the Norie-Miller ponds.”.
