Water woes in Vernon's Polson Park mean spray park will be removed

Photo: Contributed

Polson Park water woes are spelling the end of the children's spray park. At least for a while.

At Monday's regular meeting, staff will present a report recommending city councillors direct administration to conduct the Polson Park Stream Naturalization Feasibility study for up to $75,000 to address the hydrogeology issues and stormwater catchment in Polson Park.

Flooding in the park has been an ongoing problem for the past few years.

In January, administration conducted a study to understand why surface-water ponding has been occurring since 2017, which has created a variety of maintenance problems in the park, and forced the closure of the playground and water park for all of 2019-20.

Several measures have already been taken to address the water issue, but the problem has persisted and the report tells council the water park will have to be removed.

“The most significant concern is the spray park, which requires upgrades to address the infiltration of ground water into the holding tank, which impacts the ability to have clean water in the spray equipment,” the report said. “The asphalt under the rubberized material is deteriorating and creating sink holes. The rubberized material continuously grows algae and needs to be removed to conform to Interior Health standards.”

As the park is about to undergo a new master plan process, it is recommended that relocation and reconstruction of the spray park wait until the new master plan is developed.

“This will mean that there is no spray park in Polson Park for the near future, which is expected to be at least 2-3 years. Administration is in process of costing the removal of the splash pad feature, keeping the washroom functional, and will report back with details.”