- 570 acres, Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs
- 4,000-acre watershed spans Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury and Edgartown.
This long, narrow inlet spanning Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs is popular with commercial and recreational shellfishermen as well as small boaters. A thin barrier beach, as well as a road and drawbridge, separate the pond from the Vineyard Haven Harbor and Vineyard Sound. The head of the pond is fed by freshwater springs and features a herring run. The pond shoreline has been heavily built with houses through the years. The Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group runs two saltwater hatcheries, one situated on the western edge, and another on the eastern shore at the site of a former state lobster hatchery.
The Lagoon Pond is widely believed to be the most threatened pond on the Vineyard and has seen significant decline in water quality in recent years, with frequent algae blooms spurred by high nitrogen levels. Biologists, citizens and government leaders are working in concert to develop an action plan to safeguard the pond by reducing nitrogen levels, including through sewering.
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