Mill Creek Park Lily Pond closing for water improvement project
Mill Creek MetroParks will close the Lily Pond for 45 days beginning Monday for a parking lot construction project that is designed to improve water quality.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Mill Creek MetroParks will close the Lily Pond for 45 days beginning Monday for a parking lot construction project that is designed to improve water quality.
The project includes the addition of natural habitat and improving water quality before storm water reaches Lily Pond and Frog Pond.
The project will introduce permeable materials that will allow runoff water to seep into the ground instead of flowing into the ponds.
Landscaping will be added that is designed to remove silt and pollution within the parking lot, ass well as a biofiltration area adjacent to the Frog Pond.
Park officials say the improvements, along with adding organic soil material, gravel areas and native plant species to the facility will enable the site to absorb and reduce the volume and velocity of storm water.
It is expected that the changes will significantly improve water quality, increase native species and wildlife habitat, and create an appealing feature within a prominent area of Mill Creek Park.
Mill Creek MetroParks has been awarded a Surface Water Improvement Fund grant through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for this project.
The grant will cover 100% of the costs for the rehabilitation of the parking lot and construction of the biofiltration areas.
Mill Creek MetroParks has committed various in-kind services to further enhance the project.
The Lily Pond will be closed throughout the expected 45 day duration of the project.
The quality of the water within the park system has become a major concern since last summer when Glacier, Newport and Cohasset lakes were closed to the public because of high bacterial levels due to to storm water runoff.