Fresh Pond Reservation Drainage and Habitat Improvements Project

Project Goal: Improve Water Quality

A major goal of any of the restoration projects at Fresh Pond Reservation is to improve water quality.  The hydrology at the southern watershed of Little Fresh Pond is such that the area has become severely eroded, impacting the health of Little Fresh Pond and the drinking water reservoir. 

Currently when it rains, water will stream down the sandy slope below the golf course clubhouse.  The rain gathers in puddles and streams at the bottom of the slope, threatening the health of Fresh Pond Reservoir.  In order to protect the drinking water, a water quality swale will be created along the Perimeter Road on the side opposite the Reservoir.  This swale will collect rainwater and move it towards the golf course and Stream C, away from the drinking water.

Stream C, located along the edge of the golf course and a woodland, will be regraded along the golf course side to create a more gradual slope to the stream edge.  The stream will be replanted with wetland plant species that will absorb nutrients in the water, improving water quality.  A wet meadow grass planted along the stream will create a natural buffer between the waterway and the golf course, which currently does not exist.   Riparian buffers along the ponds in the golf course will also be increased, reducing algae blooms in these ponds.