Cape Cod Pond Atlas

The original 2003 Cape Cod Ponds and Lakes Atlas served as a status report on the Ponds and Lakes Stewardship (PALS) program, documenting activities leading to the creations of PALS and water quality data from the 2001 PALS snapshot monitoring. It included indicators of impacts to Cape Cod ponds, reviewed data and outcomes from previous studies, and recommended further efforts to advance pond protection and remediation. The new 2022 Atlas reviews pond monitoring efforts, data analysis, actions, and impacts that have changed in the nearly 20 years since the original Atlas was released. The update began with a comprehensive review of pond and lake characteristics. Ponds are defined as fresh, static, and permanent water bodies greater than 10,000 square feet. Commission staff utilized the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act definitions, US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory, MA Department of Environmental Protection Wetlands dataset, multiple recent years of finer resolution aerial photographs, planimetrics (derived from 3D interpretation of aerial photography), and site visits to identify ponds and lakes in the region. Utilizing the best available data and information and analysis has resulted in a more accurate and improved database of freshwater ponds and lakes. Ponds included in the 2003 Atlas that are not classified as ponds today include ephemeral (or seasonal) pools, salt ponds, waterbodies under 10,000 sq ft, and water resources that are classified as wetlands.