Palm Desert Eases Pond Worries

With recent reports of of West Nile virus, what appears to be an obvious source for mosquito breeding in Palm Desert, has been raising some concerns.

The area of green sludge is actually a percolation pond, found between the Palm Desert Aquatic Center and Civic Center Park.

It was created to collect back-flow from the pool, as an environmentally friendly way to filter the water and it hasn’t been working as well as the city had hoped.

At first glance you’d think it was be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Fact of the matter is, there are no mosquitoes. It’s been regularly inspected by vector control since May.

Mario Montez of Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District says, “Mosquitoes don’t actually like it the way it is. Maybe the film on top, because they still have to actually breathe, so maybe the film on top doesn’t allow them to breathe.”

We also noticed the fence surrounding the pond was damaged and brought the concerns to the attention of the city.
Within an hour of our phone call, the city was on site, draining the water and repairing the fence.