Neighbors and members of the Northwest Park community told the Parks and Recreation Board on Sept. 29 that a pond in Northwest Park has lost a substantial amount of water in recent weeks, harming trees and wildlife and prompting calls for immediate study and action.

Mary Farrow, a District 7 resident who has used the park for nearly 50 years, showed photos to the board and told members that a musicians' group, a women's support group and children who watch turtles had recently expressed alarm at the ponds decline. Farrow said the 2022 Northwest Park vision plan recommended long-term testing, including bathymetry, water-quality and hydrological and geotechnical studies, and that the community was not aware whether those studies had been completed.

"This amenity is well loved in Allendale and throughout the city, and I urge you to act quickly to restore this pretty alarming situation that's happening there at the pond," Farrow said.

Board chair Trevor Bazan asked clarifying questions and Farrow told the board that prior motion language asking PARD to conserve the ponds layout and commission specific studies was not included in the minutes after final adoption. Director and staff present said they would follow up with Watershed Protection and Austin Water. Farrow and other speakers also noted recent PARD forestry watering efforts to protect struggling trees.

Board members acknowledged the issue, noted the pond has a small watershed and that previous fixes to pool backwash and a repaired pump room had reduced incidental inflows that once kept the ponds level higher. Parks staff said filling the pond with potable water is not an option under city rules and that city technicians are exploring creative, code-compliant remedies and coordinating with Watershed and Austin Water. Staff also said temporary watering of trees was underway.

The board did not take formal action on the pond at the meeting; speakers urged the department to accelerate the studies listed in the Northwest Park vision plan and to provide a timeline for any assessments and repairs.

"If any of those have been done, the community is not aware of that," Farrow told board members. "City staff has an unprecedented opportunity to hear from these experts."