Council bosses are being urged to act fast after the pond on the city’s South Inch ran dry this week.
Locals say they have never seen the water level so low.
And park-goers are worried for the welfare of the birds and other wildlife which depend on the South Inch pond for their survival.
The pond is owned and operated by Perth and Kinross Council, and is supposed to be topped up with water from the Craigie Burn.
But one mum who asked the council to intervene says she was told: “Unfortunately there is no action we can take here. We are not allowed to fill this pond as it needs to be natural water.”
Vet Jenny Croft says that’s not good enough.
“I totally get that they can’t just fill it up with tap water,” she said.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to just do nothing.
“It’s very worrying.”
Jenny raised the alarm after visiting the South Inch pond with her little boy.
“We’re there every Sunday,” she said.
“We usually do the park run then go and feed the ducks.
“The water has been going down over the last two or three weeks. And I just assumed it would rain, or it would be filled up some other way.
“It was only when I saw the ducks and the baby moorhens in the mud that I realised how bad it had got,” she added.
“It’s awful. Those guys can’t just up sticks and leave.”
Is supply pipe blockage to blame for South Inch pond crisis?
Perth and Kinross Council has now confirmed local suspicions that the issue is down to a blockage in the pipe that feeds water from the Craigie Burn.
Workers could be seen at the site of a previous obstruction after The Courier raised their complaints this week.
It is now looking to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the work.
Craigie resident Janice Haig said: “The council have told me there’s nothing wrong with the pond itself, even though the lining is really broken up in places.
“So that means it must be the inlet pipe again.
Janice, the founder of Perth Community Flood Aid, added: “This happened a few years ago. I got in touch and said ‘the pond’s nearly empty’ and it turned out to be a blockage caused by a build-up of silt in the pipe that runs through the railway tunnels.
“I have never seen it as bad as this though.”
Animal welfare officers stepped in during the summer of 2018 when the South Inch pond water levels plummeted during a heatwave.
The Scottish SPCA was enlisted to monitor the health of the resident swans.
However, Janice says the swans appear to have deserted the pond altogether this year.
Council responds to South Inch pond calls
Perth and Kinross Council has responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the inlet and outlet points, as well as the pond itself.
It has authorisation from Sepa to abstract water from the Craigie Burn under The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.
But there are limits to how much it is permitted to take each day.
This is to protect the Craigie Burn itself.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “The South Inch pond is fed from the Craigie Burn and, unfortunately, the inlet to the pond has become blocked.
“We have visited the site. But specialist contractors are needed to clear the inlet and these will be appointed as soon as possible.
“It is not uncommon for ponds to dry up,” the spokesperson added.
“When this has happened in previous years we have sought advice from the RSPB who have assured us this presents no risk to birds as they will move to the nearest watercourse.”
Conversation