Repair work is ongoing at Wadsworth Pond

Construction begins this week at Wadsworth Pond to lay stone along the shore. The rock will provide safer access points for the public and improve water quality for fish and wildlife by limiting the amount of sediment that washes into the pond. The stone will be installed in seven locations around the pond, creating safer water access points for the public and protecting the banks from further erosion.

Repair work is ongoing at Wadsworth Pond

Great Falls Park and Recreation Superintendent Kevin Vining says, “This is going to be a big factor in erosion control. With these areas, we lose some silt back into the pond. So it is steadily eaten. This will restore it.’

San River Watershed Group (SRWG) purchased the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Community Ponds grant, which is largely funding the project along with Montana Trout Unlimited, Missouri River Fly Fishers and Walleyes Unlimited. The bank project is the first step in a collaboration between organizations aimed at creating more amenities at Wadsworth Park.

Tracy Wendt, director of the Sun River Watershed Group, says, “Fish, Wildlife and Parks brought up these issues with the bank and said that addressing them could be a really good first step. It’s a nice, simple project where people will see improvements very quickly and we can see how much support there is to improve the amenities here at the pond. Wadsworth Pond is fed by the Sun River and serves our Great Falls community. We are very happy to be a part of this project and hope to be able to participate in the future work.”

As the number of visitors to the park increases, Park & ​​Recreation is planning further improvements to Wadsworth to make the park a community destination.

Future projects will include permanent bathrooms, improved fisheries and tree planting. Vining says, “We’ve seen a steady increase in traffic here. With that in mind, we intend to make some improvements here and get more amenities for people coming out.”

Bank construction will begin this week and is expected to take about two to three weeks. During this time, large equipment and materials will be moved, please be aware of the work zones around the pond during playback.

Although Wadsworth Pond is located just outside the city limits (4620 Wilkinson Lane), it is owned and operated by the City of Great Falls.

MTN