50949_WKBW_7_Problem_Solvers_658x90.png

Actions

What's the stink at Hoyt Lake?

Posted at 12:07 AM, Jun 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-28 14:16:37-04

Peter Dow and his dog Pepper enjoy walking around Hoyt Lake.

“She loves to play and the exercise I think is extremely good for her,” Dow told 7 Eyewitness News.

But as much a Dow enjoys the par,k he doesn’t enjoy the smell that often radiates from the water. “Particularly on warm days when I walk the dog and she comes out of the water she smells quite unpleasant.”

It’s a smell he would describe as "a little bit like rotten eggs.”

Dow says it’s a problem that’s gone on for years, a problem the Buffalo Olmsted Parks system worked to eliminate in 2013 when they installed a $50,000 at the lake.

The feature served a dual purpose – an eye catching water display and filtration system that was designed to aerate the lake and cut down on algae bloom and its foul odor.

But that fountain hasn’t sprayed since the spring and those using the park are looking for answers.

Brian Dold with the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy says it was at the beginning of this spring when the fountain would not turn on. After eliminating an array of possible issues including the water heater and electrical panel, staff pinpointed the issue to a faulty pump and now it’s a waiting game to figure out how to rectify the issue and determine how much repairs or replacement could cost.

“Now we are in the process of working on either replacing the component or deciding whether we need to get a new one, but certainly everything is exacerbated by the fact that it’s out in the middle of the lake,” Dold said.

Dow says the stench won’t stop him and Pepper from spending time at the lake and offers this bit of advice for those planning to visit: “It’s better to stay upwind of the smell.”