Upgrades to Woods pond set to begin

By Adia Wynter
The Department of Environment (DoE) intends to alleviate flooding in McKinnon’s and surrounding areas by carrying out upgrades to the pond at Woods.
According to Joan Sampson, project coordinator for the Adaptation Fund and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), the work is being undertaken to prevent the flooding of about 4,000 homes in the McKinnon’s area.
Cleaning of the pond was scheduled to begin yesterday with the removal of vegetation. The clearing of pollution will help ease the water flow into the McKinnon’s pond, thereby reducing flooding.
This upgrade is also a means of improving the green and social spaces in the area.
“We see the conditions that prevail around the pond with the vending and dumping,” Sampson told Observer. “It’s not pretty … we are hoping that it can become a beautiful green space in the middle of this environment.”
She added that the project is being funded by the SCCF.
Sampson said the work is not expected to affect the flow of traffic on Friars Hill Road.
“It depends really; mainly for movement of large cranes. We have done Woods pond cleaning before and you didn’t see major disruptions in terms of the traffic flow at all,” she said.
In addition to cleaning, there are plans to increase the pond’s efficiency and capacity by widening and deepening it, along with the addition of silt traps, overflow weirs, and other developments.
Sampson noted that once the major advancements have been completed, landscaping will be done around the pond to add benches and other features for public enjoyment.
The project is expected to be completed next year.