Orleans Pond Coalition

Orleans, Massachusetts

  • OPC March 2023 Bulletin - Things to do this Spring
  • OPC February 2023 Bulletin
  • OPC Ponderings - Fall 2022
  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Mission/Vision
    • Board of Directors
    • Business and Community Members
  • Our Waters
    • Orleans’ Watersheds
    • Freshwater Ponds
      • Baker’s Pond
      • Boland Pond
      • Cedar Pond
      • Crystal Lake
      • Deep Pond
      • Gould Pond
      • Icehouse Pond
      • Meadow Bog
      • Pilgrim Lake
      • Reubens 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
    • Wastewater Challenges
    • The Orleans Blue Pages — A Guide to Protecting Cape Cod Waters
  • Programs
    • Overview
    • Oxygenation Demonstration Project
    • Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program
    • The Orleans Blue Pages
    • Fertilizer
    • Mutt Mitts
    • Oysters
    • Our Upweller
    • Plastics
    • Water Sampling
    • Member Photo Submissions
  • Celebrate Our Waters
    • 2022 Celebrate Our Waters – A Look Back
    • 2022 Celebrate Our Waters Event Activities
    • 2022 Celebrate Our Waters Event Schedule
    • 2022 Celebrate Our Waters Event Locations
  • Get Involved
    • 2022 OPC Annual Meeting Recap and Thank You
    • Submit Photos
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe
    • Join/Renew
    • Contact Us
  • News
    • 📌 Bulletin
    • Ask the Osprey
    • Ponderings  
    • Water, Water, Everywhere
  • Donate
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program

Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 11-08-22Download

OPC Collaborates with APCC

In 2021 The Orleans Pond Coalition (OPC) announced its agreement to partner with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod’s (APCC) cyanobacteria monitoring program.  Six Orleans ponds are now included in the program for the summer of 2022.  APCC originally initiated this monitoring program in 2017 in response to an increasing frequency of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater lakes and ponds across Cape Cod.

The Orleans ponds selected for this program are Pilgrim Lake, Uncle Harvey’s Pond, Crystal Lake, Ice House Pond, Cedar Lake and Boland Pond.  A group of volunteers underwent training by APCC to learn their sampling protocols. Twice weekly, May through October, volunteers took samples, observations, and photographs of the water.  Samples were analyzed by APCC to help characterize and measure the abundance of cyanobacteria present at any one time.

Our freshwater ponds are “the soul of the Cape”- for some, places of peace and contemplation. For others, they are fishing holes, or places to kayak and paddle board, or where first-time swimmers can safely learn in quiet water. The onset of a cyanobacteria bloom threatens the pursuit of these pleasures. It is often characterized by the appearance of a thick scum than can range in color from blue-green to orange, the color of which depends on the pigments present in the growth.  It can also be accompanied by a foul odor. While not all cyanobacteria are harmful, some can produce harmful toxins. Toxins dissolved in the water can be lethal to fish, birds and mammals who drink from the pond. Humans may develop skin rashes or other ailments on direct contact with the water. Wind blowing across the bloom may waft toxins into the air causing respiratory difficulties.

Cyanobacteria blooms typically occur during late Summer or early Fall. While cyanobacteria are not a new threat to lakes, excessive accumulations have been increasing in frequency and duration for several decades. The two most often cited causes are excess nutrients in lakes due to run off from septic, lawns, and animal waste and warming due to climate change. According to Kevin Johnson, APCC’s Cyanobacteria Program Coordinator, ‘Over the past four years our monitoring program has proven to be helpful in supporting citizen pond groups and towns to address the emerging issue of harmful cyanobacteria blooms across the Cape. It has also been successful in raising awareness of the impacts of nutrient pollution and climate change on our freshwater ponds and highlights the vital importance of addressing the causes.’  OPC’s collaboration with APCC furthers it intention to sponsor water quality research.    Ken Wagner, OPC’s environmental consultant also emphasizes- ‘The first step in management is gaining an understanding of the pattern of cyanobacteria occurrence in any given water body and having a monitoring program that quantifies types of cyanobacteria and tests for the presence of toxins….’

By tracking ponds throughout the monitoring season, APCC believes that they are often able to forecast when blooms are forming, allowing towns to prepare and take proactive management actions to protect public safety and water quality.

If you are interested in assisting with our monitoring program please contact OPC through our website. You  can also follow the work being done on either our website or through APCC interactive map, updated daily (https://apcc.org/our- work/science/community-science/cyanobacteria/ )..

2021 Cyanobacteria Monitoring Report for:

Bakers, Ice House, and Uncle Harvey’s Ponds, and Crystal and Pilgrim Lake in Orleans, MA

Summary

OPC partnered with APCC to add four freshwater ponds and lakes to their cyanobacteria monitoring program in 2021.  The four Orleans ponds and lakes–Ice House and Uncle Harvey’s ponds, and Crystal and Pilgrim lakes were sampled by OPC board members and volunteers.  Bakers Pond was also monitored, through a partnership with the Brewster Ponds Coalition (BPC). The season long program involved biweekly sampling from May to October with analytics and testing provided by APCC.  The goal of this monitoring is to track and predict the formation of harmful cyanobacteria blooms (HCBs) and expected toxins. In 2021, Ice House and Uncle Harvey’s ponds and Crystal Lake were in the Low Warning Tier for the entirety of the season. Pilgrim Lake was in the Low and Moderate Warning Tiers during the season. Bakers Pond was in the Low and High Warning Tiers during the season. Over the course of the monitoring season, APCC recommended temporary use restrictions in Bakers Pond due to cyanobacteria concerns. APCC shared all of their monitoring analytical results with OPC, the town, and the public throughout the season culminating with a season ending report. The report issued by APCC summarizes the 2021 cyanobacteria monitoring results for the ponds listed above.  We thank APCC for its support through the season.

Cyanobacteria sampling stations in Orleans in 2021

APCC Cyanobacteria Final Report 2021- the Orleans Pond Coalition and The Town of OrleansDownload
Attachment 1. Town of Orleans 2021 DataDownload

Monitoring Updates

The Bi-Weekly APPC monitoring reports for 2022:

Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 6-06-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 6-20-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 7-04-22Download
Orleans Ponds Off-Week Cyanobacteria Update 7-11-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 7-18-22Download
Orleans Ponds Off-Week Cyanobacteria Update 7-25-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 8-01-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report-8-15-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 8-29-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 9-12-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 9-27-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 10-10-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 11-24-22Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report 11-08-22Download

The Bi-Weekly APCC monitoring reports for 2021:

Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 5-23-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 6-11-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 6-21-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 7-05-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 7-19-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 8-06-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 8-20-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 9-03-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 9-16-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 9-30-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 10-11-21Download
Orleans Ponds Bi-Weekly Cyanobacteria Report – 10-28-21Download

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

OrleansPondCoalition@gmail.com

Copyright © 2023 Orleans Pond Coalition. All Rights Reserved. · Website By: A. Piper Creative