Committee questions zoo irrigation and maintenance priorities amid master plan

Committee members raised concerns about irrigation and grounds maintenance while reviewing the zoo master plan, seeking clarity on whether watering schedules or coverage had changed and how staff plan to locate and repair buried valves and damaged piping.

"Have we started watering? Have we found out? Have we done any research for any of the existing stuff at all?" Commissioner Porter asked, seeking to know whether the department had increased watering or identified unused lines. Parks staff said they had repaired leaks and that watering had continued on the existing schedule but that older systems, broken wires and buried valves complicate troubleshooting. "No. We have not discovered any unused. We have been watering the way it was scheduled from before. Have had some leaks that we've repaired," staff said while outlining the limits of current records and the need to pull Hamilton (utility staff) in to trace wiring and valves.

Staff said more extensive work will be scheduled in winter months when crews have time to trace systems and perform more durable repairs, and that priorities include fixing valves and addressing localized flooding and drainage issues in some habitats.