Erosion and a changing shoreline may be a friend to Farm Pond, where a second culvert was opened from the pond to the sea last week.

The culvert, which originally emptied into Harthaven harbor, had been blocked off for about 10 years after erosion had eaten away the barrier beach and left the culvert clogged and ineffective.

But now the scene has changed again, and the migration of the barrier beach has moved so far inland that the culvert was facing the open sea.

After more than a year and a half of work to obtain the necessary permits, last week the culvert was reopened, with the help of some heavy equipment.

Oak Bluffs shellfish constable David Grunden was part of the crew. “My wife Sharry can remember the crab creek that ran down toward Harthaven harbor from the culvert. When my daughter Freyda was born 24 years ago, the creek was gone,” he said.

The second culvert is expected to aid the health of the 33-acre pond by providing greater circulation and exchange of water between the pond and the sea.

— Mark Alan Lovewell