Red Deer’s wastewater plant storage ponds have proven a popular destination for local waterfowl.
To ducks and geese the warm, soothing water in clarifying, settling and equalization ponds seems like the perfect place for nest building.
The city has a different view and will be employing predator decoys, air cannons and patrols to convince birds to make their homes somewhere else.
Air cannons were first introduced about four years ago after wildlife biologists were called in to offer advice on best to deal with the feathery trespassers. They emit a loud bang at random intervals as a not so subtle hint for the birds to move on. The bangs can often be heard at River Bend Golf and Recreation Area, the Pines neighbourhood and Chiles Industrial Park.
Encouraging the birds to leave is for their own good. The warm water in clarifying ponds can lull birds to sleep and they can be injured or killed by rotating arms designed to churn the water.
It is expected the waterfowl protection program will wrap up in October. For more information on the city’s wastewater treatment system go to reddeer.ca/wastewater.