The ducks are back. Less than two weeks after vandals dumped oil into the primary pond at Riverside Waterfowl Park, the local migratory flock has begun returning to the water.
The cleanup crews spent ten days scrubbing the shoreline and skimming the surface. The environmental damage was immediate—three birds were euthanized, and a dozen more required intensive cleaning at the regional wildlife center. Officials had feared the site would remain a toxic hazard for months.
“The ecosystem is resilient, but it wasn’t a guarantee,” said Sarah Jenkins, the park’s head biologist. “We cleared the sludge, tested the sediment, and reopened the sluice gates. The birds didn’t wait for an official invitation.”
Environmental agencies confirmed on Wednesday that water quality levels have returned to the baseline. While the visible sheen is gone, the long-term impact on the pond’s aquatic vegetation remains under observation.
Police are still hunting the individuals responsible for the spill. Investigators recovered a discarded five-gallon container near the north access road, but surveillance footage from the area was too grainy to identify the suspects. A local conservation group has since offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
For now, the park is open again. Residents have been asked to keep their dogs on leashes near the water’s edge to avoid stressing the recovering wildlife.
The birds are navigating the pond as if nothing happened, but the staff knows better. They’ve installed motion-activated security lights along the perimeter fence—a permanent reminder that the park’s safety is no longer taken for granted.
