The Freshwater Initiative: Expanded pond monitoring efforts underway on Cape Cod

A comprehensive pond monitoring program is now underway to gather consistent data from ponds across Cape Cod.   

The Cape Cod Commission contracted with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) at the beginning of the year to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to expanding and enhancing efforts to monitor ponds on Cape Cod. This expanded monitoring program is part of the Freshwater Initiative, a science-based, information-driven planning process to engage stakeholders and enable action to protect and restore Cape Cod's freshwater resources. Expanded monitoring will ensure consistent and consecutive data collection to inform pond management and improvement strategies.

The program began this April as APCC staff and volunteers headed into the field to collect data from identified ponds across the region, including clarity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen.  

Each pond in the program will be monitored on a monthly basis from spring to fall. This new effort will provide information that allows for a better understanding of how the region’s ponds change throughout the seasons and over the years and the stressors that impact water quality. 

This new data, along with data collected through existing monitoring programs, will help inform efforts to protect and restore the health of our freshwater resources.  

Visit www.capecodcommission.org/freshwater to learn more about the Freshwater Initiative.