Summer 25 OP Newsletter

VILLAGE PONDS Stormwater ponds/pipes/creeks are interlocked systems with some property publicly owned and some privately owned. The Village and its residents work together to maintain the system. The Village’s Public Works Department is responsible for aesthetics and shoreline stabilization of all Village-owned ponds. Since 2011, the Village has maintained the 180 Village-owned ponds through the best practices of natural plantings, a process used by many surrounding communities. This approach includes the planting of native, deep-rooting plants to enhance shoreline stability while also enhancing the aesthetics of the pond itself. The plant life helps to filter any chemical runoff that may occur from surrounding properties. The Village works with ecological contractors to help evaluate and maintain many public pond sites through a stewardship process. Stewardship is a multi-year program in which invasive species of plants surrounding a pond site are removed and replaced with native species. These ponds have usually been identified as most in need by the Village’s Pond Assessment program. Plant plug or seeds are installed to promote the growth of native plantings. During the process, there is typically a controlled burn which uses fire as a tool to help promote the growth of plantings. Over time, the invasive plants are removed and native plantings surround the ponds. This method maintains a hydrological and ecological balance by using methods that are structurally sound, as well as economically feasible, while being ecologically sustainable.

For more information, call the Village Public Works Department at (708) 403-6350.

Want to know if your pond is owned by the Village or is private/HOA? Visit orlandpark.org/ponds.

| Summer 2025 | orlandpark.org

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