2.4 FRESHWATER RESOURCES
POND CHARACTERISTICS, TOWN OF DENNIS
The town’s primary freshwater resources are its ponds totaling over 240 acres of surface area. These ponds area scattered throughout the town, primarily in the geologic areas of outwash plan and glacial lake deposit.
Most of the ponds in Dennis are classic kettlehole ponds, formed on the Cape as deep depressions in the glacial outwash left by stagnant ice blocks. Most are isolated; that is, they do not drain to the sea. These ponds, depend solely on the fluctuation in the aquifer’s water table for their own surface level, often expose a wide shore during the summer when the water table is low. These exposed shorelines comprise the unique habitat called “coastal plain pondshores”, which harbor rare and endangered plants, such as Plymouth Gentian, golden club and long-beaked bald rush, and rare animals, such as the comet darner and New England bluet (damselflies).
The significance of Dennis’ ponds lie not in their importance for boating, as is the case in other Cape Cod towns, but rather the fact that they are the town’s primary sites for rare plant and animal species and should be protected as sensitive habitat.
GREAT POND: Public surveyed by state engineers.
Scargo Lake, Route 6A, Dennis, 53 acres surface area, 48 feet maximum depth, 13 miles of shoreline.
Activities
-
Fishing (Trout-stocked),
-
swimming,
-
beach,
-
boating (Note: a maximum outboard motor restriction of 7.5 hp).
Special Features
Princess Beach, beach, access to water, 38.66 acres
-
supervised beach
-
rest rooms in season
-
cabana
-
play ground
-
hiking trails
-
vehicle dirt parking
Scargo Tower Conservation Area, 5.6 acres
-
no access to water
-
stone outlook tower looking over the lake
-
25 vehicle paved parking lot
Scargo Lake Landing, access to water, 0.22 acres
-
small boat launch dirt ramp
-
7 vehicle dirt parking lot
Indian Burial Ground, cemetery, 0.21 acres
-
historical Indian site
-
No parking
Anson H. Howes Conservation Area, access to water, 0.33 acres
-
Scargo Lake level control, fish run
Dr. Lords Road, Common Landing, 0.22 acres
-
Scargo beach, supervised
-
Small boat launch, no ramp
-
25 vehicle paved parking
-
rest rooms in season
GREAT PONDS – TOWN (Public surface area greater than 10 acres)
Fresh Pond, Rte. 134, South Dennis, 29 acres, 8 feet maximum depth, 0.95 miles of shore-line
Activities
-
Fishing,
-
boating (Note a maximum outboard motor restriction of 5 hp.),
Special Features
-
Cedar swamp, water tannic brown from acid water and cedar
-
Outlet to Grand Cove, Bass River
Fresh Pond Conservation Area, access to water, 95.35 acres
-
Nature trails
-
Picking
-
Dog park
-
Small boat launch
-
15 vehicle dirt parking lot
Kelley’s Pond, Pond Street, West Dennis, 25 acres, 0.95 miles of shore line
Activities
-
Fishing
-
Small boating
Special Features
-
Open to the sea, partially tidal, brackish water
Kelley’s Pond Terrace conservation area, passive recreation, 0.28 acres
-
no parking
-
small boat launch, no ramp
Kelley’s Pond Herring Run, inactive, 1.47 acres
Flax Pond, Pond Street, Dennis, 15 acres, 29 feet maximum depth, 0.52 miles of shore-line
Activities
-
Swimming,
-
fishing,
-
boating, see Town conservation area
Special Features
-
Excellent example of a Kettle Hole Lake
King Property – Flax Pond Conservation Area, access to water, 73.6 acres
-
small beaches
-
hiking trails
-
inactive cranberry bogs
-
10 vehicle dirt parking
Grassy Pond, Grassy Pond Drive, East Dennis, 12 acres, 0.76 miles of shore line
Special Features
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
-
Note one-quarter owned by the Dennis Water District
Grassy Pond Place Conservation Area, 0.2 acres, access to water, passive recreation.
White’s Pond, Old Chatham Road, East Dennis, 12 acres, 0.47 miles to shore line
-
No formal access
Cedar Pond, Airline Road, East Dennis, 10 acres, 0.55 miles of shoreline
Activities
-
Swimming,
-
fishing,
-
boating
Special Features
-
Cedar swamp
Cedar Pond Conservation Area, 1.2 acres
-
no ramp – boat launch
-
2 vehicle dirt parking
Coles Pond, Coles Pond Drive, East Dennis, 10 acres, 0.53 miles of shoreline
-
No formal access
-
State listed rare species habitat – plants
Crowe’s Pasture Conservation Area – frontage
Eagle Pond, South Dennis, 10 acres, 0.38 miles of shore line
-
Access off Love Lane, Harwich
PONDS with Public Access: less than 10 acres, but publicly owned frontage or access.
Run Pond, Setucket Road, Dennis, 9 acres , 0.57 miles of shoreline
Special Features
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
-
Owned by the Dennis Water District
Baker’s Pond, Airline Road, East Dennis, 8 acres, 0.53 miles of shoreline
Activities
-
fishing,
-
boating
Special Features
-
State Listed Quaking Bog
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
Bakers Pond Conservation Area, 2.92 acres
Aunt Patty’s Pond, off Greenland Circle, East Dennis, 8 acres, 0.76 miles of shoreline
Special Features
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
-
Owned by the Dennis Water District
Funn Pond, East Dennis, 5 acres, 0.30 of shoreline
Special Features
-
Owned and on the Dennis Pines Golf Course
Clay Pond, off Old Bass River Road, East Dennis, 5 acres, 0.28 miles of shore line
Special Features
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
Simmons Pond North , 5 acres, 0.37 miles of shoreline and
Simmons Pond South, 5 acres, 0.41 miles of shoreline
-
off Simmons Pond Road West, East Dennis
Special Features
-
State listed rare species habitat – wildlife and plants
-
Significant Coastal Plain Pond Shore
-
Simmons Pond North one-half owned by the Dennis Water District
Whittemores Pond, Shefield Road, South Dennis, 3 acres, 0.28 miles of shoreline
Special Features
-
Whittemores Pond Conservation Area, 0.76 acres, access to water
Cash Pond, E.D. 3 acres, 0.3 miles of shoreline, access through wellfield
Duck Pond, off Setucket Road, Dennis, 1.78 acres, 0.2 miles of shoreline
Special Features
-
Owned by the Dennis Water District
Baker’s Pondlet, E.D. 0.75 acres, 0.2 miles of shoreline, access through wellfield
Tiny Pond, S.D. 0.5 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, access through town conservation area.
S.E. Grass Pond, E.D. 0.5 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, access through wellfield near S.Simmons Pd
N.W.Grass Pond, E.D. 0.4 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, access through wellfield near N.Simmons Pond
The Plashes, D.P. access through town conservation area. Manmade
Great Pond Plash, D.P. access through town conservation area. Manmade
The Reservoir, E.D. access through Bound Brook conservation area. Manmade
-
Herring run
PONDS: less than 10 acres; no public access; surrounded by private property
Shiverick Pond, E.D. 2 acres, 0.2 miles of shoreline, located on Nordblom Estate
Hinkleys Pond, S.D. 1 acre, 0.2 miles of shoreline, located off Hummel Drive
unnamed pond, S.D. 0.4 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, Off Mayfair Road
unnamed pond, S.D. 0.4 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, Off Mayfair Road
Little Coles Pond, E.D. 0.4 acres, 0.1 miles of shoreline, located on Mastin estate; connects to Coles Pond
HISTORICAL PONDS: (ponds no longer in existence due to filling)
Duck Pond, S.D – 2.5 acres, 0.3 miles of shoreline, located within Town Landfill area
NOTE: Total = 240+ acres & 11.58 miles of shoreline
(does not include filled ponds)
There are nine ponds that are greater than ten acres in size, which classifies them as Great Ponds of the Commonwealth. The public owns Great Ponds and is entitled to access, while other ponds can be owned privately by surrounding landowners and public access can be prohibited. Only one of Dennis’ Great Ponds (Scargo Lake) has been officially surveyed as greater than ten acres in area by state engineers, but clearly others meet the test. Seventeen Ponds are private by size, but have public access through publicly owned land, primarily wellfields of the Dennis Water District around their shores.
All of Dennis’ waters are generally of high quality, though problem spots exist. All freshwater ponds are included in Class B, the top freshwater ranking for ponds, which are not used as a source of a public drinking water supply.
Eutrophication is the process by which a pond experiences algae blooms, oxygen depletion, fish kills, noxious odors and visual deterioration as a result of excessive nutrient inputs (usually from runoff and septic systems). Some of Dennis’ smaller ponds may suffer from eutrophication, but no studies have yet been done to characterize these systems.
Freshwater ponds on the Cape tend to be naturally acidic due to a lack of alkaline materials in the soils, and accelerated acidification seems apparent in several ponds. Between 1983-85 the Acid Rain Monitoring Project (ARM), coordinated by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, sampled 3370 surface waters throughout the state and found that 5.5 percent were acidified, 16.8 percent were critical, 20 percent were endangered and 21.7 percent were highly sensitive (in descending order of degradation.) Dennis was one of only 25 towns throughout the state (one of seven of the Cape) that ARM considered to be the most highly acidic. Ironically, the high acidity keeps the pond water attractive for swimming because the water looks very clear and feels “soft”.
New November 18, 2011
