Nasty pond in Painesville Township treated after 19 Troubleshooter story

PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - A homeowner in Painesville Township is back to enjoying his backyard again after a horrible stench has been taken care of.

The retention pond in his backyard had gotten so bad, it was filled with algae and started smelling like sewage.

After getting ignored by his homeowner’s association for years, he reached out to the 19 Troubleshooters.

“This water will actually have a blue color to it,” said Bill Donner, a homeowner at Lake Erie Shores. “Really nice.”

In one month, Bill Donner has gone from describing the pond in his backyard as a “cesspool,” to admiring it.

A lot can change in the span of just a few weeks and it all started after our 19 Troubleshooter story aired.

“Our story aired on a Friday,” said Donner. “And Saturday morning about 9:30, I got a call from a Brian McConnell from Aqua Doc. And he said, ‘hey I saw your pond and I can definitely take care of it for you.’”

Donner’s pond in the Lake Erie Shores of Painesville Township was in desperate need of care.

It was filled with algae, became a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and Donner worried it was a health issue.

“Someone could get sick,” Donner said.

So when Aqua Doc, a lake and pond management company, was approved to do some treatments on the retention basin, Donner was ecstatic.

“That algae is 95% gone,” said Donner. “You can kind of see all water. It also helps with the odor and it has definitely helped with the mosquitos.”

Huge progress, but Donner stressed the treatments have to continue in order for the pond to stay healthy.

As for the improvements so far, he’s thanking the 19 Troubleshooters.

“Without Channel 19, nothing would have ever happened,” said Donner. “I’m very thankful to Channel 19.”

We reached out to the manager of Lake Erie Shores to see if they plan to continue the treatments, but we haven’t heard back.

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