Dear Sir,
On Sunday I had a ride round to my friends and happened to go by the Boating Lakes. I stopped to talk to a gentleman dressed in waders cleaning all the green sludge off the surface of the lake.
A task similar to painting the Forth Bridge, I would imagine, as fast as it is cleaned off it is back again. I pass the park often and it is beautiful. What I don’t understand is why the inlet and outlet are no longer in use? I grew up around ‘The Dandy Cart’ area, and it didn’t have the algae problem, but then the inlet and outlet were in use so it wasn’t still water.
The park itself is looking lovely, and very well presented, I just think that the time spent cleaning all the sludge off the top could be better spent doing something else. Surely it would be beneficial for the ducks etc living on the lake to have moving water.
As kids the ‘boatie’ was emptied and cleaned regularly and I was informed this has not happened for 10 years. West Park is great amenity in our town and could be made 100% better if the lakes were managed properly.
The group are doing an amazing job looking after and improving the area, so why are the council not doing its part by allowing fresh water to enter the lakes and exit on the other side – it would be common-sense.
The lakes would look attractive and the ducks etc would have a much healthier environment to bring up their babies. My grand-daughter was entranced watching two ducks with their clutch of babies, one of 10 (well done mummy duck) and another with 7. Come on powers that be, help this wonderful group make the park the place it truly can be.
Jacqui Cunliffe