Securing the future of Cape Cod’s freshwater resources 

The Cape Cod Commission launched the Freshwater Initiative in 2022, responding to growing concerns about the health of the region's 890 ponds and lakes. Cape Cod's freshwater resources are dynamic natural systems that contribute to the region's identity. A strategy to support protection and restoration of Cape Cod’s ponds is nearly complete. It includes data, research, and recommendations for action.  

The region values ponds and lakes for their essential ecological functions and contributions to the local and regional economy.  An economic analysis in 2023 indicated that ponds with better water quality lead to increased visitation and higher property values. Homes located near ponds with good water quality typically sell for an average of $22,000 more than comparable homes near ponds with water quality issues, and at least $70 to $89 million of the region’s gross domestic product is associated with visits to lakes and ponds. 

The health of Cape Cod’s ponds is threatened. Excess nutrients, pollutants, algal blooms, erosion, invasive and nuisance species, and increased water temperatures due to climate change contribute to impaired water quality and poor habitat conditions. The Freshwater Initiative represents a path forward to address and manage these threats.  

Data collection and analysis efforts over the years have lacked consistency. The Freshwater Initiative supports robust data collection aimed at filling gaps and establishing a consistent baseline and understanding of freshwater resources in the region. This planning initiative has yielded pond profiles for the region and its fifteen towns, an analysis of physical pond characteristics, the launch of a Regional Pond Monitoring Program in partnership with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, an exploration of remote sensing applications, and the creation of the Cape Cod Water Quality Data Portal—an online resource that will be launched in early 2025 to provide access to water quality data and analysis for hundreds of ponds. Over the past two years, the Regional Pond Monitoring Program has collected consistent data on 50 representative ponds across the region, with staff and volunteers visiting each pond once per month for nine months out of the year.  

Research collected on past and ongoing projects across the region has also informed the effort. The Freshwater Initiative was informed by local pond reports and includes an online viewer showing past and present restoration projects and a strategies database with data and information on approaches utilized on Cape Cod and across the country. A robust stakeholder process that involved residents, pond advocates, town staff, non-profit organizations provided critical input from those closest to the region's ponds and lakes.   

Learn more and access available resources by visiting www.capecodcommission.org/freshwater