Sandwell Council to spend £340,000 on improving pools after bird deaths
More than £340,000 will be spent on improving pools in parks across the Sandwell borough – including one where more than 30 birds died in a month.
Sandwell Council plans to spend £342,000 on eight pools in the borough, which they say will improve them for both wildlife and visitors.
It follows issues at several pools in Sandwell parks where wildfowl have died.
Tests on wildfowl from several sites proved inconclusive, however avian botulism was identified as the possible cause of the deaths.
Measures to prevent the disease include maintaining good water quality, increasing oxygen levels and removing silt.
It will also include major work to transform the pool at Smethwick Hall Park, where up to 35 birds died in one month.
Sandwell Council figures show 30 Canada geese, four ducks and one coot died there between July 17 and August 16, last year.
The plan for Smethwick Hall Park pool includes dredging the silt from the pool and making the pool itself around 50 per cent smaller, which should improve water quality and reduce flood risk.
Sandwell Council is also considering installing equipment to improve water quality at three other pools in the borough, as well as setting up a pool maintenance team.
The pools that will benefit, if the plans are given the go ahead are Smethwick Hall Park, West Smethwick Park, Victoria Park in Smethwick, Victoria Park in Tipton, Haden Hill Park in Rowley Regis, Red House Park in West Bromwich, Mill Pool in Wednesbury and Hydes Road in Wednesbury.
Sandwell Council also plans to fit diffuser equipment to aerate the water and improve oxygen levels at Smethwick Hall Park, West Smethwick Park, Victoria Park in Tipton and Victoria Park in Smethwick.
The council has worked with the Environment Agency, Severn Trent, RSPCA, Animal Plant Health Agency and Swan Watch on plans for the pools.
Councillor Maria Crompton, Sandwell Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for safer communities, said: "We feel it’s important that we focus on improving the pools in our parks to make them great places for wildlife and for people to visit.
“We have worked very closely on these plans with our partners including Swan Watch, particularly at Smethwick Hall Park where we will be reducing the size of the pool so we can more effectively ensure the water quality.
“We are looking at installing equipment to improve the water quality and we want a pools maintenance team working to regularly maintain the pools in our parks.”
The plans will be discussed by Sandwell Council's cabinet on March 18.
