Orleans Pond Coalition

Orleans, Massachusetts

Dedicated to the health of Orleans waterways for over 20 years.

  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Mission/Vision
    • Board of Directors
    • Meet the New 2025 OPC Directors
  • Our Waters
    • Orleans’ Watersheds
    • Freshwater Ponds
      • Baker’s Pond
      • Boland Pond
      • Cedar Pond
      • Crystal Lake
      • Deep Pond
      • Gould Pond
      • Icehouse Pond
      • Kettle Pond
      • Meadow Bog Pond
      • Pilgrim Lake
      • Reuben’s Pond
      • Sarah’s Pond
      • Shoal Pond
      • Twinings Pond
      • Uncle Harvey’s Pond
      • Uncle Israel’s
      • Uncle Seth’s
    • Estuaries
      • Cape Cod Bay
      • Nauset
      • Pleasant Bay
      • Lonnie’s (aka Kescayogansett) Pond
    • Drinking Water in Orleans
    • Wastewater Challenges
    • Cape Cod Land Owner Resources
    • The Orleans Blue Pages — A Guide to Protecting Cape Cod Waters
  • Programs
    • Overview
    • Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program
    • The H2Orleans Pond Pledge
    • OPC’s Compost Spreader Loan Program
    • Oxygenation Demonstration Project
    • 2024 Earth Day Clean-Up: Thank you and Pictures
    • The Orleans Blue Pages
    • Fertilizer
    • Mutt Mitts
    • Oysters
    • Water Sampling
    • Member Photo Submissions
  • Celebrate Our Waters
    • 2025 Celebrate Our Waters: Save the Dates
    • 2025 Celebrate Our Waters Summer Edition
    • 2025 Celebrate Our Waters – Earth Day Event in Pictures
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe
    • Join/Renew
    • Contact Us
    • Submit Photos
  • News
    • 2025 May Town Election
    • 📌 Bulletin
    • Ponderings  
    • Water, Water, Everywhere
    • Ask the Osprey
    • Hugel Terracing report and pictures
  • Join OPC Today

Cedar Pond

Cedar Pond (source: WQ Management Plan)
Cedar Pond Setting
  • 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)

Help Us Improve Our Cedar Pond Page

We would like our community members to submit pictures and/or simple text to this page. If you or a friend could help us, please email us at webinput@orleanspondcoalition.org  or use the contact form below.

Thanks in advance from your friends at the Orleans Pond Coalition

About Orleans Pond Coalition

Orleans Pond Coalition, Inc. is a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the saltwater estuaries and freshwater ponds and lakes of Orleans. Our work includes offering educational programs to encourage mindful land use practices, sponsoring water quality research, working with community, regional and state organizations to formulate constructive policies to protect our … Learn More

Our Mission

Orleans Pond Coalition is dedicated to the protection and health of our shared watersheds, estuaries, ponds and lakes.

Orleans   Pond   Coalition
PO Box 2485
Orleans, MA 02653

info@orleanspondcoalition.org

OPC is a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the saltwater estuaries and freshwater ponds and lakes of Orleans, MA.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2025 Orleans Pond Coalition. All Rights Reserved. · Website By: A. Piper Creative