The long-awaited reopening of the University of New Mexico’s Duck Pond is coming soon. Last Friday the pond had its “soft opening,” but there are still a few kinks to work out before the community can fully enjoy the space.
The construction on the Duck Pond launched last fall, but this project has been in the works since 2018.
The University has been asking the state for funds to start pond renovations for years, and was finally granted $4 million in 2023 for the entire project. The design team set off right away and construction broke in November of 2024.
Michael Pierce is the project and construction manager at UNM. He said this makeover was long overdue.
“This was absolutely a needed update to the pond. The previous version was very difficult to maintain,” Pierce said.
Maintenance and water quality were the biggest problems to solve – they really go hand in hand.
Contractors Aquatic Consultants and Planned Collaborative did a complete rebuild of the base, liner, pumps, and bridge in order to improve the environment.
They deepened the pond by about 5 feet to preserve water quality, and added a UV liner to ease maintenance and protect wildlife.
The ducks, fish and turtles that normally call the Duck Pond home are currently living at the UNM Championship Golf Course about half a mile away. These animals won’t come back to the Duck Pond until everything is settled in September, but Pierce has already seen some old friends wandering about.
“We’ve seen a few small turtles just make their way over once they saw the water and wanted to go check it out,” Pierce said.
Not only can you see turtles, but 50 bass and 20 pounds of silvery minnows have been acclimating in the pond since June.
Some areas are still blocked off due to fresh grass seeding, but the community can already enjoy most of the space that has been a staple of the campus since 1974.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for UNM’s newly rebuilt Duck Pond will take place on September 3.
