FREDERICK, MD - Several improvements are underway along Frederick's Carroll Creek.

It may look like a normal day along the creek until you see a man in the water on a mission.

"I've been planting lily pads in the Carroll Creek in different sections and different methods, putting them in pots and also tying them to bricks and rooting them on the bottom," said David Krause, a horticulturist with the City of Frederick.

The Frederick Department of Parks and Recreation is trying to get rid of the slimy and smelly algae growing in the creek.

Their weapon? Lily pads.

"They're beautiful to look at. Every time we come down here after they've been put in the water, I see people taking pictures of them, but ultimately when we fill the whole creek, they'll cut down the sunlight, which is one of the two main ingredients that the algae needs to grow and survive with," said Roelkey Myers, Deputy Director of the Frederick Department of Parks and Recreation.

All of the lily pads have been donated. There's more than a dozen different species in the creek.

The lily pads aren't the only things being considered for the Carroll Creek. The Frederick Board of Aldermen will vote on banning fishing from parts of the creek.

"We've had a lot of people down here who have been fishing, and I don't know that it's been a problem yet, but I think the main goal for the non-fishing ban is for the safety of the pedestrians walking up and down," Myers said.

Another reason Myers brought the issue to the aldermen is because the department will also put algae-eating fish in the creek and want them to stay there. Also, some people fishing have reeled in a few of the lily pads.

"I think it changes the perspective that people have of the Carroll Creek. It makes it more attractive and enjoyable," Krause said.

The goal is to eventually have 900 lily pads in the water and give people walking along the Carroll Creek a lot of color to look at.

The Department of Parks and Recreation also plans to put 'sonic busters' in the creek. They pulsate a sonic boom every couple seconds and break up the algae.

To donate lily pads, contact Roelkey Myers at (301) 600-1902 or e-mail him at rmyers@cityoffrederick.com.