Wrightstown Township officials are attempting to tame a duckweed problem in a pond owned by the municipality.
The township is presently planning to clear the pond at the Matthews Ridge development off Brownsburg Road and install an aerator.
Duckweed occurs in nutrient rich ponds, but it can kill other life in the pond, which can cause problems.
Township Manager Stacey Mulholland said officials spoke with two pond consultants and explored installing a fountain or aerator to keep the pond healthy after the duckweed is removed.
Mulholland said the duckweed would need to be removed before an aerator could be installed.
Township Consultant Dave Dutko said using an aerator over a fountain would be more efficient and cheaper.
The aerator would be a better option because a fountain would need to be removed in the winter, while the aerator does not, Dutko said.
The township will need a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to perform work on the pond. This permit will cost $300 and take six to eight weeks to obtain, Mulholland said.
“This is time sensitive and we need to move ahead with it,” Mulholland said.
The township’s public works department and firefighters determined that the pond’s deepest point is nine feet.
