Water trickling back into the Frog Pond springs hope of recovery

By Craig Westcott/December 9, 2022

Members of CBS council are cautiously optimistic the gully on Frog Pond Road will return to life now that some water is slowly finding its way back in to what used to be a small pond.

For the first time in anyone’s memory, the Topsail landmark went completely dry this past summer when construction crews dug up the street to install water and sewer lines. When the pond didn’t refill after the work was completed this fall, residents went looking for answers at the Town Hall and weren’t too happy at initially being put off with assurances everything would correct itself come Spring.

On Tuesday, the chairman of council’s public works committee, Gerard Tilley, offered an update on the conditions at the gully.

Tilley prefaced his report by noting the Town employs external engineers on its capital works projects and those firms are responsible for obtaining all the provincial government permits involved in a construction project.

“Much of the road and the materials beneath it had to be dug up to install the water and sewer material,” said Tilley. “There was ground water that entered the trenches for the new pipe that had to be removed with portable pumps. This is typical for most of our water and sewer projects and is the only way to make the trenches safe for our workers. We’ve confirmed from the engineer that no water was pumped from the Frog Pond. Unfortunately, while this work was occurring, water did drain from the Frog Pond area. The water was not knowingly or purposely drained or pumped out by the contractor, but appeared to have occurred as infrastructure was installed in the immediate area of Frog Pond Road.”

Tilley appeared to be referring to reports from residents of seeing construction crews running a pump much of the summer on an underground stream that runs near the gully and which they suspect is one of its main sources of water.

Tilley said it’s not uncommon to pump water out of the trenches where pipe is being laid. “We often see adjacent water level systems fluctuate when contractors complete water and sewer projects across the town,” he added. “Nearby water systems, such as wells, go dry and typically slowly replenish as materials in the road settle and groundwater tables replenish. The contractor and consultant believe this will likely happen in Frog Pond as well.”

Tilley said when the contractor tore up the road near the bottom of the pond, the hardpacked material that had been there for years and that had kept water in the gully was loosened, allowing the water to drain away.

“Now that the materials under the road are compacting, that natural barrier appears to be returning as we can see with the water back in the pond,” Tilley said. “While water levels in the bog continue to increase – and we believe ground water and water levels will restore – more drainage is still possible as materials under the road continue to shift and settle. However, with time the pond should be able to return to its normal fluctuating water levels.”

Members of council, senior staff and the Town’s engineering consultants met onsite with residents of the street a couple of weeks ago, Tilley said, describing the discussion as very productive and respectful.

“Shortly after we had that meeting, residents actually went with our consulting engineers and our staff and provided those guys with some options as to what they felt could probably happen to restore the water. The staff brought that back to us, and we’ll certainly look at any and all those ideas.”

Tilley said some of the residents thought a culvert had been moved during the construction which may have contributed to the water draining from the pond.

“The engineering consultant took detailed surveys of the area before and after and confirmed that no culverts had been changed or moved during this job,” Tilley said. “Several residents have asked council if all the necessary permits were in place to complete this work. All work was completed with all the issued permits from the provincial government. Compounding the problem was the fact that this summer, up to and including September and even October, it was incredibly dry, likely the driest (period) we have experienced in many years. The bog, which we know has drained to low levels in the past, had to be completely replenished or refilled with water. We understand that not everyone agrees with the engineering consultant’s assessments of what happened, and we continue to assess the situation taking local knowledge and input into consideration. If it appears that additional work is required, council will do whatever it can to ensure that the work is completed to restore Frog Pond to its original condition. However, as of now, Frog Pond is refilling and replenishing on its own so we will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks and months.”

Tilley said some work remains to be done on the project next summer, including laying down the final lift of pavement. “And if further work is required, we will certainly do what we can at that time to remediate the Frog Pond,” Tilley said.

Mayor Darrin Bent, who interrupted his vacation several weeks ago to arrange a meeting between residents and Town staff, indicated he is continuing to pay close attention.

“I can tell you that I’ve been onsite every single day since (returning from vacation) and keeping an eye on Frog Pond as the residents are,” he said. “I’ve met with some down there when I’ve been down and am very pleased to see water naturally coming back into Frog Pond, and hopefully it will continue to do so… But we will continue to monitor that to continue to ensure the Frog Pond does restore itself or is helped to restore.”

Ward 1 councillor Shelley Moores, who represents Topsail, thanked Tilley, his committee, and staff for responding quickly to the residents’ concerns. “I guess when everyone found out about it, residents were very concerned,” said Moores. “But it’s great to see how quickly it was investigated and how quickly staff worked with councillors to get the issue sorted, and I think the residents are very appreciative of that.”