Residents took to social media and reached out to news organizations to share their concerns and get the attention of city officials. The posts centered around water levels at the lake that had recently dropped; concerns over potentially toxic algae growth, and alarm at the number of dead waterfowl in the lake and on the shore.
Ward 1 Councilman Philip Falcone took to the app to address these concerns, explaining that a pump that keeps water levels up had broken and was in the process of being repaired.
Here’s Pamela Galera, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Riverside.
The fact is, at this point, we don't know what the problem is, just the lower lake level should not cause death for the ducks.
I visited the park Wednesday and did not see any remaining dead ducks. I did notice a firehose connected to a hydrant near the boathouse that was flowing into the lake. A park visitor I spoke to mentioned he noticed it had been flowing since at least Saturday morning. A father visiting the park with his young children noticed there were fewer ducks, but was unaware of the issues.
Again, Pamela Galera.
And every year, you know, a few die of natural causes, but this is kind of a larger number, and so we immediately called the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Environmental Protection Agency, who have come out and conducted testing.
Galera added that a report on the results of the water, soil, and air sample testing, as well as testing of the ducks themselves was forthcoming and would hopefully bring some clarity as to the cause of the die-off.
Galera also mentioned that a sanctuary would remove any of the remaining affected waterfowl for rehabilitation, and possibly help with identifying the cause of the illness.
I’m Jessica Greenwell, KVCR News