The town is asking residents to not dump unwanted fish into the local storm ponds.

Last year locals spotted goldfish living in the Crystal Ridge storm pond, a non-native fish that could seriously effect the ecosystem.

Okotoks has now received a grant of $10,000 to go towards control efforts and awareness initiatives.

Parks Manager Christa Michailuck says the town is excited to have been awarded the grant.

"These ponds are not a place to dump unwanted pets and the town will be conducting a public education campaign around that. Also the town did budget funds for some control efforts in our effected ponds and we applied for a grant with the Alberta Conservation Association. We have been awarded the grant with matching funds to contribute to this issue so we are quite excited about that."

Michailuck says with the grant the town is now trying to decide what the best course of action is.

"So we are thinking right now that the best decision for Okotoks, and of course it's so weather depending but it would be to de-water the ponds, which basically means drain them. We would use a filter device that prevents fish from going out the outlet at that time. Then we would get the ponds as low as we can get them, harvest the fish from the smaller amount of water and then use a fish pesticide essentially to go in the water afterwards to treat any fish or eggs that are left... then leave the ponds as low as possible going into winter to freeze solid."

The Parks Department is sensitive to using chemicals in the storm ponds but have seen other municipalities de-water ponds without fish pesticides and non-native fish have still overwintered.

By draining the ponds to a smaller amount less of the pond ecosystem will be affected by the pesticides.

Michailuck says the treatment is necessary because the possibility of the goldfish entering the Sheep River is a very serious concern.

"Well I don't think anyone really knows how successful they would be if they would survive in the river, if they would survive as well as they do in the ponds but they certainly seem to be doing just fine in the ponds so it is a concern."

Storm pond treatments will hopefully take place during dry periods in August and September.

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