If you have taken classes on campus, odds are that you have seen Delta College’s koi pond. The pond is located in front of Danner Hall in the center of campus. The koi pond has a rich history on campus.
Construction on the pond started in April 1976 as “The River Danner,” according to Collegian archives. The construction of the river was completed June 23, 1976, according to the as-built diagram, a diagram indicating the version of the pond as of the construction’s completion.
“Within a year of the pond’s completion, fish began appearing in the pond. Most were dark and small and not easily noticed until they began to grow in size and more colorful fish began being mysteriously ‘dropped off.’ Ted Wakabayashi was the head groundskeeper at the time so he took the fish concern to Vice President Lawrence DeRicco,” said Director of Facilities, Planning and Management Stacy Pinola.
The first fish found in the pond were varieties of carp, some consisting of brocaded carp, also known as koi. Since then, there have been koi in the pond for almost 50 years.
Having a feature like this on campus doesn’t come without its mishaps. According to The Record and KCRA3 on June 1, 2010, two 17-year-old teens were seen on security footage beating 12 koi fish to death with a knife and a makeshift spear, causing more than $12,000 in damages to the fish and the surrounding pond. However community support enabled the pond to stay inhabited even after the death of the fish.
“A month after a dozen prized koi were killed at the San Joaquin Delta College campus, 16 individuals and families have offered to donate their own fish to replace those lost,” according to a 2010 Stockton Record article by Alex Breitler, who is now Delta’s Director of Marketing and Communication.
Then, in the summer of 2023, cranes were the cause for concern for Delta’s koi fish, causing a net to be placed over the highest level of the pond. In 2024, Delta added 15 new koi to the pond, repopulating it after the crane attacks.
