Hydrology

The geology, soils, and development history of Patterson Park have resulted in a complex hydrology in the park. Historical records of the central portion of the park indicate that there has always been an active flow of water beneath the surface soils overlying a perched water table, a condition where water falling on the ground infiltrates until reaching a clay layer where it collects and flows beneath the surface. Where the clay layer intersects the surface, water will flow out creating a spring. During the park’s development in the 19th century, extensive grading was performed in this area, filling in ravines and providing subsurface drainage with oyster shells and clay pipes. The Taurus Fountain, once located at the northern terminus of the Mall, was created from a prolific spring, which pre-dates the park. The Boat Lake, which was inadvertently created in the 19th century during a grading operation, is still fed by perched groundwater.

At the surface, the park east of Luzerne Avenue does not provide many clues about its hydrologic history. Formerly the valley of a navigable stream, the stream was placed in a culvert in the late 1800s and the area filled with ash, debris, and soil. The 17ft wide brick tunnel is still in place beneath the park, and in the 1970s a major public works project augmented this channel with an additional 16 ft. wide culvert called the Lakewood Avenue Storm Drain. For 50 years beginning at the turn of the century, a lake was located here. Today, the former stream valley is no longer discernible.