Without wastewater treatment facilities, Island ponds could be in worse shape. Estuaries suffer from nitrogen overload, coming mostly from septic systems that remove bacteria but not nitrogen.
Man-made breaches at Island ponds help maintain salinity for shellfish and eelgrass and flush out nitrogen that accumulates mostly from septic tanks and runoff.
The Massachusetts Estuary Project, which studied 12 Island bodies of water, has raised awareness of growing nitrogen problems and spurred action at several levels.
Nashaquitsa Pond has become a laboratory for eelgrass restoration, although poor water quality and other factors appear to be keeping the aquatic species from re-establishing.
Drew’s Cove in Lake Tashmoo could become a no-anchor zone for the next three years to protect fragile eelgrass beds near the head of the saltwater estuary.
The Vineyard Gazette’s series on coastal ponds was recognized with an award for outstanding journalism this week by the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Alex Elvin was the principal reporter on the series.
As communities on the Island and across the region look to shellfish as a possible strategy to restore the health of coastal ponds, a study on the Cape provides numbers to back up their work.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission is revising its 2007 water quality policy, with an eye toward stricter rules for developments that contribute nitrogen to saltwater ponds from wastewater.
