A manmade lake nestled in the middle of the city, surrounded by luxury apartment towers, a hotel and other businesses in Santa Ana, right next to the 405 Freeway. The space attracts a lot of wildlife and people seeking a bit of calm. But some workers say they've noticed syringes in the water and in nearby vegetation.
Syringes and aluminum foil usually associated with drug use have been found. Some items were collected by a security guard who could not go on camera. He says more than 20 needles have turned up over the past month. Police are now trying to figure out where they're coming from.
"We don't know if people are coming here, having parties, we don't know if people are throwing them out of the apartments. Obviously it's a safety issue," said Santa Ana Police Corporal Anthony Bertagna. "When you're talking about needles with tin foil and a black substance, that tells us it's potentially heroin. now we're talking about IV drug users, makes it even a larger problem."
Police are hoping to stop the problem before someone gets injured.
"We have a lot of kids that come here to see the ducks. We have a lot of people that come here to work. A lot of people come here to walk," said Bertagna.
Private-security patrols have been increased in the area.
As they try to figure out who could be responsible, police are encouraging people to report suspicious activity.
