This article was published on: 12/2/13 12:00 AM
The question of what to do about decades of sediment at the bottom of Bend’s Mirror Pond could get some clarity Monday, when members of the Mirror Pond Ad Hoc Committee meet again in Bend.
Mirror Pond isn’t really a pond. It’s a very slow-moving section of the Deschutes River formed by a hydroelectric dam downstream.
For months the city, along with private and public stakeholders, have been weighing options that range from dredging, to doing away with the dam and restoring the natural flow of the river, to doing nothing at all.
Two recent developments could play a role in that decision.
Last week the dam’s owner, Pacific Corps said it was no longer cost effective to operate the dam. The utility is now in talks with the city about possibly transferring ownership.
The second announcement came from Bend businessmen, Bill Smith and Todd Taylor. They say they’ve secured the option to purchase the land beneath the pond, thus clearing the way for dredging.
Taylor says both want to see Mirror Pond preserved and would be willing to transfer ownership to the city.