- Pond Area: 15 acres.
- Maximum Depth: 12 ft (3.7 m).
- Location: Cedar Pond is located in northern Orleans, south of Route 6 and west of Town Cove.
- Water access, parking: There is access to the pond from Cedar Pond Road and viewing from Jones Road. Cedar Pond Road dead-ends into the shore of the pond. There is a small turn-around /parking area with room for a few cars.
- Boat ramp / boat access: no boat ramp; there is pond access at Cedar Pond Road for canoes or kayaks. It is a short distance from the end of the road to the edge of water.
- Recreational Uses: bird watching, fishing
- Fishing: Cedar Pond has both freshwater and saltwater fish species. White perch, herring, bluefish and striped bass have all been caught in Cedar Pond, but eating fish from the pond is not recommended due to high bacterial counts. A MA state fishing license is required.
Other Fun Facts:
- Cedar Pond is connected to the Rock Harbor estuary through a tidal creek. Saline water flows up the tidal creek at high tide and can flow into the pond. The extent to which this happens has varied over the years and is part of the focus of ongoing pond management.
- The power lines above Cedar Pond were a popular seasonal roosting location for a large cormorant population. The power lines were relocated in 2018 as one of several measures to improve the water quality in Cedar Pond.
- Cedar Pond historically had a herring run, from Rock Harbor Creek.
- Cedar Pond is one of four ‘Great Ponds’ in Orleans (surface area larger than 10 acres), together with Baker’s Pond, Crystal Lake and Pilgrim Lake.
- Cedar Pond experienced fish kills in 2002, 2008 and 2018, likely due to low dissolved Oxygen concentrations in the water (poor water quality).
- There is a Water Quality Management Plan for Cedar Pond (see Table 2). Improvement measures are being carried out by the Town of Orleans and MA DOT.
Cedar Pond, bathymetry map (depth in feet)
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Thanks in advance from your friends at the Orleans Pond Coalition