Pond Drained at Winding Stairs

Submitted by City of Lafayette Mayor Jerry Wilmore

Regretfully, the City of Lafayette had to drain the pond at Winding Stairs Nature Trails & Park, on Monday, March 28, so they could take out a 12 ft. section of the dam to try and stop the leak. It was discovered last year, especially during the summer, the pond dropped a tremendous amount, and a portion of the dam had settled in. We began doing some research on the dam and, in years gone by, there was a drain pipe in the dam for overflow and the pipe was damaged before the city acquired the property by having root balls torn out. The pipe was rusty and has fallen in, causing the dam to settle and the pond to lose water. 

Hopefully this will take care of the problem of the pond trying to keep up with the rainfall and the spring that helps keep it full. We will attempt to catch the fish that were stocked in it and relocate those to Sullivans Pond on Ellington Drive for those wanting to continue to fish until the pond is repaired and restocked. If anyone wants to fish the Winding Stairs pond until it is drained, the catch and release policy will not be enforced.

We hate the fact that people won’t be able to fish the pond for a few months but, with this repair, hopefully it will be corrected for citizens to be able to enjoy for years to come. We are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause but we highly encourage everyone to still visit and enjoy the trails at Winding Stairs Park.