Pleasant Bay is the largest estuary on Cape Cod. It is approximately 9,000 acres in size and includes shoreline on four towns. The area of the Pleasant Bay within Orleans comprises two main water basins, ‘Pleasant Bay’ and ‘Little Pleasant Bay’, as well as several coves, semi-enclosed saltwater ponds, tidal rivers, and four islands.
Location: Pleasant Bay is surrounded by the four towns of Orleans, Brewster, Harwich, and Chatham on the north, west and south sides, and by the long Nauset barrier beach or ‘Outer Beach’ on the eastern side. Pleasant Bay is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via breaks or ‘inlets’ in the barrier beach. These inlets are quite dynamic, shifting from year to year. For example, in 2006 the main inlet was in Chatham Harbor, but in 2007 a new northern inlet formed east of Strong Island, Chatham. This inlet has been slowly migrating southward since then.
Access: In Orleans, there are several options for accessing the waters or shoreline of Pleasant Bay, including the Town Landings with boat launches at River Road, Paw Wah Pond and Quanset Pond. A number of smaller Town Landings are ideal for launching a kayak, canoe or paddle board. An overview of Town Landings as well as parking availability and permit requirements is available at the Town website. Additionally, a number of the walking trails on Town conservation lands as well as Orleans Conservation Trust properties lead to the shores of Pleasant Bay, such as Kent’s Point, Paw Wah Point and the Peck Property .
Ecology: Pleasant Bay is an area of extraordinary natural resources and is one of the most biologically diverse and productive marine habitats on the East Coast. As a highly valued regional resource, it was designated by the state and recognized by the surrounding towns as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) in 1987. Over 1,000 acres of salt marsh and several hundred acres of tidal flats are found in the ACEC. Other important habitats include the islands, salt and freshwater ponds, rivers, bays, eelgrass meadows and barrier beaches. These areas provide flood control, storm damage prevention, improved water quality, and important wildlife habitat and feeding grounds. Many shellfish, fish and shorebird species are found in the waters and along the shores of Pleasant Bay. Seals are increasingly seen in Pleasant Bay, as far north as Meetinghouse Pond.
Recreational activities: With all its natural beauty, Pleasant Bay is a popular location for sailing, wind surfing, power boating, kayaking, fishing, shell fishing, bird watching, and beach going.
Water Quality: Unfortunately, the high level of residential development along Pleasant Bay and within the connecting watershed areas has impacted the water quality of Pleasant Bay over the past decades. This is primarily due to nitrogen enrichment (excess nitrogen concentrations) from septic tanks as well as fertilizers and storm runoff.
In 2015, a water quality analysis commissioned by the Pleasant Bay Alliance showed that between 2000 and 2014, nitrogen concentrations increased significantly in Pleasant Bay, even with the 2007 break in the Nauset barrier beach in Chatham that created a new inlet and a significant increase in ocean water flushing.
In 2018, a Watershed Management Plan for Pleasant Bay was prepared with input from the towns of Chatham, Harwich, Brewster and Orleans and a State certified “Watershed Permit” was issued to reduce the total nitrogen to acceptable limits. The Pleasant Bay Watershed Permit is the first of its kind in the State and as a result of this permit, Orleans and the three towns are exempt from the 2023 MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations for expensive nitrogen reducing septic systems (called Innovative/Alternative Systems).
Instead, a Comprehensive Nitrogen Removal Plan was developed, focusing on reducing the number of septic systems, which are responsible for 75% of the controllable nitrogen load to the Bay. The major component of the plan is construction of new sewer systems in Orleans, Harwich and Chatham, and a new Wastewater Treatment Plant in Orleans (operational since 2022). There is also a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Chatham which treats sewage from both Chatham and Harwich. Each town operates independently, but their activities are coordinated in compliance with the plan.
In 2023, water quality assessments prepared by the Town of Orleans, based on water quality monitoring data from 2019-2023 evaluated the waters of ‘Northwest Pleasant Bay’ (in South Orleans) and ‘Pochet Inlet Pleasant Bay’ (in East Orleans) to be ‘impaired’.
To address this problem, the nitrogen reductions needed to achieve restored water quality will be accomplished with a combination of sewering, aquaculture remediation, stormwater improvements, fertilizer reductions, PRBs (Permeable Reactive Barriers), and growth (development) restrictions. As these measures are implemented and an increasing number of properties connect to the sewer and wastewater treatment plant, water quality is expected to improve significantly in the coming years.
History: Pleasant Bay has a rich history. There are documented Native American settlements dating back at least 9,000 years. By 4,000 years ago, Pleasant Bay had become a central place within the ancestral Nauset/Monomoyick/Wampanoag homeland. This area was likely home to semi-permanent villages from about 3,000 years ago until after European contact in the 1500s and 1600s.
Interesting facts: Orleans, and specifically a number of families on Pleasant Bay, were pioneers in establishing summer children’s camps. In 1905 when Mrs. E. A. W. Hammatt established Quanset Sailing Camp for Girls and Rev. Gibson Bell established Portanimicut Sailing Camp for Boys on the shores of Little Pleasant Bay, they were among the first camps in the country. By the mid-1980’s more than 14 camps had existed in the Town of Orleans, including Mayflower, Namequoit, Owaissa, Pleasant Bay, Portanimicut, Quanset, Sealore/ Seamaid, and Viking, all on Pleasant Bay. In 1988 the last camp closed, and an era ended.
Pleasant Bay has a number of drowned kettle ponds also known as saltwater ponds, each with distinctive characteristics:
3. Arey’s Pond
4. Paw Wah Pond