All the saltwater ponds on the Vineyard are impaired to some degree, and each one faces a unique set of conditions. Public interest has reached a tipping point.
As coastal ponds and estuaries continue to deteriorate throughout the Cape and Islands, the DEP has proposed a pair of wastewater regulation amendments that could have sweeping impacts across the region.
When Dr. Jim Haney, a professor of biological science at the University of New Hampshire, first saw the results of cyanobacteria sampling from six of the Island's coastal ponds, he thought there had been a mistake.
Preliminary sampling and analysis from researchers with the University of New Hampshire have revealed high levels of dangerous toxins from cyanobacteriain many of the Island’s ponds.
Martha’s Vineyard’s 13 coastal ponds are unique, globally rare estuarine ecosystems that dot the edges of Island.
A three-year study by the Martha's Vineyard Commission revealed both continued high levels of nitrogen in some ponds, while others showed improvement.
A record quahaug spawn at the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group comes as a boon to Island towns this year where saltwater ponds are seeded annually as part of shellfish management programs.
