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Located at approximately 24th Street and Belle Avenue in southwest Topeka |
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Provides flood control in the Shunganunga Creek Watershed |
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Aids in improving water quality in City streams |
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Enhances a neighborhood amenity |
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The Belle Avenue Pond project started when a neighborhood pond pushed past two dams in several years. The Prairie Trace Homeowners Association approached the City and Water Pollution Control agreed to help rebuild the pond if the Association would allow the pond to be enlarged and used to control flooding and enhance water quality. The city partnered with surrounding property owners including Covenant Baptist Church, Southwest YMCA, and French Middle School.
Stakeholders participated in several community meetings where ideas were shared and discussed for the pond improvements along with possible connections to the surrounding community. Covenant Baptist Church provided property adjacent to the existing pond, allowing for its expansion. Students from Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design took the stakeholder ideas and created several conceptual plans for the pond and surrounding area. The project goal was to construct a pond that would provide additional storage when it rained, remove pollutants from the stormwater and to design a pond that would enhance the existing aesthetics of the residential neighborhood.
Construction on the Belle Avenue Pond began in the Fall of 2004 and was completed in the Summer of 2005. The expanded pond includes a forebay that will allow sediment to settle out of the water as the inflowing stream enters the pond. The forebay also makes maintenance of the pond easier and less costly. In addition a wetland shelf was included to increase safety and enhance water quality. The wetland shelf increases safety by providing a shallow area that extends 30 feet into the pond planted with wetland plants. Wetland plants enhance water quality because they filter out pollutants commonly found in surface water. Finally, two fountains were added that will function as an attractive amenity for the neighborhood and aid in keeping the water aerated.
The area around the pond will be planted with a mixture of short and tall grass prairie species that will absorb rainwater and runoff, stabilize the steep slopes, and decrease the time and money spent on mowing and other maintenance requirements.
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