turtle pond renovation

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Last season the park discovered that our Pool Retention Pond was losing water.   After much investigation, we discovered that the liner had several holes in it and was no longer holding water.   Riverside County requires all swimming pools in our area to have a pool retention pond which removes the chlorine and chemicals from the pool water before being returned into the aquafer.   We had several firms come out to bid on the rebuild and the lowest quote came in at $25,000+. 

 During the early years of our park, the members built the original Pool Retention Pond.  They transported rocks from the desert to place around the pond, built the fountain, laid down liners and put in a pumping system.   When our 2025-26 winter season started, the members discussed possible solutions to pay for the repairs.   It was mentioned that since this pond was originally built by the members, let’s see if there is enough interest among our residents to participate in the rebuild.   We put up a notice for volunteers to assist with the rebuild.  On January 5, 2026, 40+ volunteers gathered at our pond to begin the rebuilding process.  They spent a couple of hours hauling rocks out of the area and throwing concrete into our park trailer and then began stripping the pond of the old liner and debris.  

 Throughout the months of January and February, the rebuild continued.  The pond had to be dug deeper, and rocks were placed along the parameter to hold the surrounding rocks in place.  The old sump pump was excavated and replaced with a new pumping system.   A heavy-duty liner was purchased and installed by a local pond contractor.  That alone was a huge project as the liner weighed 900 lbs., and it took a team of 10+ people to hoist it up onto their shoulders and carry it over to the pond.   The pond contractor then prepared the area and laid down the liner.   A concrete block wall was built in front of the rock waterfall to give it symmetry and stability.  The vertical wall was then covered with smaller rocks, and two tile turtles were attached to the surface to give it a symmetrical look.  After a few more jobs were completed, the team began filling the pond with water.  On February 22, 2026, the project was completed and the park volunteers celebrated with a pizza lunch.  All who helped rebuild the pond were invited, including the cash doners.   The core team helped keep the project going and did a lot of manual labor such as plumbing, concrete work, excavating and other tasks.  This is what our park and community are all about, park residents helping with projects to keep our costs down while maintaining a beautiful and healthy park.