With the help of the Seattle Parks Foundation, a non-profit, fundraising arm of Seattle Parks and Recreation, the ponds have been almost fully restored. Generous donations from the Tateuchi Foundation, Norcliffe Foundation, Miller Foundation, Ferguson Foundation, Patsy Collins, Meade Emory and friends and neighbors of the park produced the funding needed to renovate the ponds.

Throughout the summer, crews from Iliad Construction installed a new pump and water filtration system and coated the ponds with a water-proof membrane. The project involved installing a new water service from the irrigation system currently in the park and hooking it up to the ponds.

The contractor installed a waterproof membrane to prevent the cracked, concrete ponds from leaking. An infrastructure was installed for the future installation of a biological filtration system. This system uses the beneficial algae that naturally grow in the ponds and a pea gravel filter to strain and cleanse the water.

A team of volunteers turned out in July to plant a shade-tolerant variety of lilies. (Since the ponds were constructed in earlier part of the last century, trees around the ponds have covered them in shade.) The effort has paid off with an architectural environment which is both serene and complete, highlighting the Seattle Asian Art Museum. [SAAM]

The ponds were fully renovated before pea gravel was poured into the pond for the biofiltration system. The renovation included putting in a water-proof liner, running electricity to the ponds to operate biofiltration pumps and installing new edging. The final touch is the inclusion of Koi fish as a part of the environment.

The next time your visit SAAM you might wish to view these renovated treasures which "embrace" the reservoir.