The koi pond at Hakone Gardens, an original feature of the Japanese garden that is more than a century old, is leaking upward of 30,000 gallons a week, and Saratoga's Public Works Department is asking the City Council to put $2.5 million toward rebuilding it.
The request is on the consent calendar for the council's Wednesday, Oct. 7, meeting, meaning it could be approved with other routine items in a single vote unless a council member or resident asks to pull it for discussion.
The staff report by Public Works Director John Cherbone puts the full renovation at about $5 million, with the other half to come from private donors and the Hakone Foundation.
What the work would fix
Cracks in the pond's lining account for the water loss, according to the report. The pond is only about a foot and a half deep, which lets the water heat up quickly in hot weather and raises the risk of disease for the fish.
The redesign would take it to roughly 3.5 feet, giving the koi cooler water and somewhere to retreat from herons, raccoons and other predators. The edges would also be reshaped to discourage those animals.
New bottom drains, skimmers and aerators would improve circulation in parts of the pond that now get too little oxygen. They would tie into the pump house rebuilt in 2019 for about $600,000, which was designed with a deeper pond in mind.
The paths around the water would be regraded and partly rerouted along the hillside so visitors with limited mobility can circle the pond and so the walkways meet accessibility rules.