Santuit Pond Stormwater Story
Santuit Pond Stormwater Story
How Does Stormwater Runoff Impact Water Quality in the Pond?
Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that cannot soak into the ground because of hard or impervious surfaces like roads, driveways, roofs, parking lots, and compacted soil. When stormwater flows across these surfaces, it picks up pollutants such as fertilizers, pet waste, and trash, before flowing into Santuit Pond without being cleaned or treated. Decaying plant material, such as grass clippings, yard waste, and the large amount of leaves that fall each autumn, are another source of nutrients and pollution in stormwater runoff. This controllable pollution is a major contributor to the degraded water quality in Santuit Pond.
The Town of Mashpee and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe have worked together with local groups, municipal departments, and other partners to take measures to reduce the amount of polluted stormwater flowing into Santuit Pond.
Residential Development Around Santuit Pond
Before 1950, very few people lived around Santuit Pond. After 1950, Cape Cod grew quickly as more people began visiting and moving to the region, and it rapidly shifted from a quiet coastal area to a major summer destination and suburbanized community. New homes, roads, and neighborhoods were built throughout the region. At that time, there were few rules to help manage stormwater runoff, so many older developments were built without systems to prevent this pollution from reaching our nearby ponds and waterways.
We Need Your Help!
As more homes, roads, and driveways are built in the Santuit Pond watershed, more stormwater runoff is created. Climate change is making this problem worse, and communities across Massachusetts are already experiencing higher annual rainfall, heavier and more frequent storms, and warmer water and air temperatures, and these trends are expected to get worse in the coming decades. These changes are increasing the amount of stormwater runoff flowing into waterbodies like Santuit Pond. This intensified nutrient pollution, combined with warmer water temperatures for longer periods of time, is also expected to increase the frequency of algal blooms, which can harm fish, wildlife, and the overall health of the Pond.
The good news is that Stormwater runoff can start right in your backyard, and the choices you make about landscaping, lawn care practices and other home projects can help protect Santuit Pond. One way to help is by using Low Impact Development (LID) practices. LID uses or restores natural drainage patterns and prevents stormwater runoff by slowing it down, spreading it out, and soaking up stormwater close to where it falls. These practices work with nature to reduce pollution and protect our local water resources.
LID can help:
- Filter nutrients and other pollutants out of stormwater runoff
- Protect groundwater resources
- Reduce heat in urban areas
- Prevent small localized flooding
- Create habitat space for wildlife
- Protect ponds, streams, and other aquatic habitats
By using LID stormwater management strategies and making small changes around your home, you can help keep Santuit Pond healthy for future generations. Learn more about LID practices and how you can use them in your yard.
Local Stormwater Management Strategies to Protect Santuit Pond
Santuit Pond’s watershed includes three municipalities – Mashpee, Sandwich, and Barnstable. Stormwater runoff in each of these communities is now regulated under the EPA Massachusetts Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, which sets requirements for reducing stormwater pollution and improving water quality. To meet these requirements, each town implements a stormwater management program that includes public education and participation, finding and stopping illegal discharges , improving local land-use, good housekeeping and pollution prevention, and stormwater improvement projects on municipal properties. The Town of Mashpee’s stormwater management program also includes efforts to address specific water quality problems, including the excess phosphorus pollution that is harming Santuit Pond. Throughout the watershed, stormwater is managed through a variety of projects, practices, and policies designed to reduce both the amount of stormwater runoff and the pollution it carries.
- Planning
The Town of Mashpee has developed a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP), which is required by the Small MS4 General Permit in Massachusetts. The SWMP outlines the activities and projects that Mashpee will carry out townwide to reduce stormwater pollution and improve water quality. It also includes specific actions to address excess phosphorus pollution affecting Santuit Pond.
The Town of Mashpee has also participated in the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program, which helps communities identify and prioritize areas vulnerable to climate-related hazards and increasingly severe weather. The Town of Mashpee’s MVP Plan identified the need to improve water quality and climate resilience around Santuit Pond through better stormwater management and nutrient pollution reduction. Persistent algal blooms continue to pose a threat to public health and the health of the pond. As a result, the Town and its partners are evaluating and implementing a range of strategies to reduce phosphorus pollution and improve water quality. Key initiatives include securing grants to implement stormwater treatment improvements at the Town Landing and to assess low-lying roads for vulnerability to flooding.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Town of Mashpee also worked together to develop a Watershed-Based Plan for Santuit Pond. The plan identified the actions needed to reduce phosphorus entering the pond from stormwater runoff and other sources.
2. Street Sweeping and Maintenance
The Town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) implements the SWMP through activities such as catch basin cleaning, street sweeping, winter road maintenance, and stormwater infrastructure maintenance and improvement. Implementation of the SWMP is coordinated between the Department of Public Works and the Town Administrator, Natural Resources, Environmental Oversight Committee, Conservation Commission, Planning Department, and Board of Health. The DPW is supported by consultant Tighe & Bond.
3. Town of Mashpee By-Laws
Town stormwater bylaws help reduce pollution, flooding, and erosion. The Town of Mashpee’s Stormwater Management Bylaw requires new development and redevelopment projects, including those in the Santuit Pond watershed, to include Low Impact Development (LID) practices and stormwater controls that help capture, treat, and absorb stormwater into the ground.
Mashpee’s Nitrogen Control Bylaw (Chapter 107) also helps protect local water quality by limiting fertilizer use, particularly for sensitive areas like Santuit Pond. For example, nitrogen fertilizer cannot be applied from Oct 30–Apr 14, phosphorus from Dec 1–Mar 1, and fertilizers are prohibited within 100 feet of wetlands and water bodies.
4. Structural Stormwater Improvements
Most homes and roads around Santuit Pond were built between 1950 and the early 2000s, before modern stormwater management practices became common. As a result, some roads and drainage systems were not designed to handle today’s stormwater runoff.
In 2021, the Town of Mashpee received an MVP Action Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to evaluate infrastructure and identify opportunities to reduce polluted runoff. Surveys conducted in November 2021 found that many roads in the watershed lacked adequate curbing, allowing untreated stormwater to flow directly toward Santuit Pond.
The MVP grant was used to hire Fuss & O’Neill to conduct field assessments throughout the Santuit Pond watershed. The goal was to identify known or suspected sources of sediment and nutrient pollution, evaluate opportunities for stormwater improvements, and identify locations where Low Impact Development (LID) practices and other source control measures could help reduce polluted runoff. The areas immediately surrounding Santuit Pond, which are believed to have the greatest impact on pond water quality, were prioritized over other more remote areas of the watershed.
The assessment identified 21 site-specific opportunities in the residential neighborhoods surrounding Santuit Pond to reduce stormwater-related sediment and nutrient pollution. Recommended actions included improving maintenance of existing drainage systems, making physical improvements to reduce erosion and sediment buildup, encouraging residential source control and LID practices, and improving existing drainage systems with stormwater control measures. These stormwater control measures, or Best Management Practices (BMPs), are designed to capture and treat stormwater before it reaches the pond.
To date, several MVP Action grants have been awarded to advance stormwater improvement efforts at several locations along Timberlane Drive and Town Landing.
5. Town Landing Project
Stormwater control measures designed to improve how stormwater is managed in existing developed areas are often called stormwater retrofits. To identify opportunities at Santuit Pond, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Town of Mashpee participated in the 2021-2022 SNEP Network Stormwater Planning Series. Through this program, they developed a conceptual design for a stormwater retrofit project at the Santuit Pond Town Landing. Simultaneously, the Town of Mashpee was awarded a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program grant to design and implement retrofits to improve stormwater management and reduce runoff pollution at Town Landing.
On November 19, 2022, the Town hosted a Community Visioning Workshop to share ideas for stormwater improvements and other enhancements at the Town Landing site and gather feedback from those who care about the Pond. The proposed design was developed by Fuss & O’Neill in partnership with the Town of Mashpee and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
Based on community feedback, the project was designed to provide several benefits, including:
Improved Stormwater Management, including permeable surfaces, bioretention, and water quality swales and rain gardens to capture, treat, and infiltrate road runoff and reduce sediment and nutrients entering the pond.
Water Quality and Ecological Improvements, including enhanced shoreline vegetated buffers and restoration of a degraded, low-quality wetland along the site’s southern shoreline.
Site Reconfiguration to support stormwater and ecological enhancements, including changes to the layout and use of the property to allow for motorized boating access at one of the two existing boat launch areas, as well as dedicated vehicle and trailer parking in the upper portion of the site.
Site Repurposing to support the diverse key stakeholders and users of the site. Enhancements include a resilience trail system, dedicated facilities and areas of the site for non-motorized boating (canoes, kayaks, etc.), shoreline fishing, and educational features about stormwater management, water quality, climate resilience, and the history and cultural significance of Santuit Pond for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
Town Landing Proposed Concept Design:
Construction on the Mashpee Town Landing project began in November 2025. Early work was completed in the fall and included clearing vegetation, installing erosion controls to prevent sediment from entering the pond, building the access road, shaping the stormwater basins and wetland, installing drainage pipes, and preparing areas for porous pavement.
Construction is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026. The finished project will include stormwater facilities, porous pavement parking areas, recreational amenities such as the boat launch, public art, benches, educational signage, and landscaping improvements
- Public Engagement and Education
Another goal of the Town’s MVP Grant is to help residents learn how they can protect Santuit Pond and improve water quality on their own properties. The Town of Mashpee Department of Natural Resources has created a webpage with information about the MVP Grant, Low Impact Development (LID) practices, local bylaws, and other resources related to stormwater management and water quality.
The public education program is designed to help residents better understand the causes of nutrient pollution and the actions that can be taken to restore and protect Santuit Pond. The website also includes information about the Pond’s importance to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and ways residents can help reduce pollution. A few resources that can be found on the Town’s MVP page include:
- Studies of Santuit Pond and recommendations for reducing phosphorus pollution
- Public Service Announcement videos about the history and significance of Santuit Pond, as well as the causes of and solutions to water pollution
- The Santuit Pond Low Impact Development for Homeowners Storymap
- A review of Town of Mashpee bylaws and recommendations for strengthening watershed protection
- The Methods to Protect Our Waterways best practices guide
