Charter

The Watershed Association of South Harwich (WASH) is a non-profit organization formed to address local water quality issues that in 1998 resulted in severe degradation of water quality in Skinequit Pond, an 18-acre kettle pond located south of Route 28, in South Harwich, MA. WASH maintains a SolarBee, which is a solar-powered device that helps circulate and oxygenate pond water, to suppress algae blooms and promote a healthy fresh-water aquatic ecosystem. WASH also advocates for remediation of ground water pollution caused by septic system leaching upstream from Skinequit, storm water run-off, and excessive use of phosphorus-rich and nitrogen-rich lawn treatments.

Membership

The Board and members of W.A.S.H. welcome any and all households on and around Skinequit Pond to become members. Annual contributions of $150 per household are used to support the maintenance and capital requirements of the Solar Bee, perform water testing as needed and build reserves to prepare for the long-term need to replace the Solar Bee. An annual meeting is held each summer to review pond health, the performance and maintenance of the Solar Bee, finances and any other relevant matters. It is also an opportunity to meet your neighbors around the pond!

W.A.S.H. is a 501(c)3 organization; all contributions are tax deductible.

Officers

• Anne Helgen, President
• Mike Curtin, Vice-President
• Joe Seidel, Treasurer
• Andy Thompson, Clerk

Skinequit Pond is an 18-acre kettle pond located south of Rte. 28, in South Harwich, MA. It is 30 feet deep at the deepest point in the center and it has a working herring run that exits at the South end and flows to Nantucket Sound. It once had a working cranberry bog at the North end.

In 1998 we experienced a toxic algae bloom that killed fish, tadpoles, and clams and made the water unsafe for swimming for about six to eight weeks of the summer.

The Harwich Department of Natural Resources, along with some residents, tried to remediate the pond with aeration, with barley bales, with a wood or metal dam to block run-off, and with grids that would attract bacteria. Nothing helped.

In 2000 we formed W.A.S.H. as a non-profit 501(C) 3 organization. In 2002-03 we joined the regional and town Water Quality Task Force, and have been testing oxygen and clarity levels for 12 years. There are 365 ponds on the Cape, many of them with impaired water quality. This is due to years of malfunctioning septic tanks, fertilizers, road run-off, and the use of phosphates, as well as the normal process of eutrophication.

In the fall of 2006 residents met to discuss alternatives. We researched all available remediation including dredging, the use of chemical alum, aerating pumps powered by electricity, or solar-powered aeration. We chose the SolarBee which circulates the cooler water from below and moves it out into the pond. Twenty individuals and families contributed and we received a small grant from the town. The SolarBee, which cost $45,000, was installed on April 5, 2007.

Over the course of the past eight years we have not experienced a toxic bloom. We see gradual improvement of the water quality, but each summer as water temperatures rise, we notice a green cloudiness that indicates that non-toxic algae are active. If we have any concern, we send a sample to a lab for testing.

The SolarBee is covered by a maintenance contract and is serviced twice a year or more often if there is a problem. It is safe for wildlife and fish, but we ask that everyone on the pond keep their visitors at a distance. We also ask that pond neighbors alert and warn anyone getting too close to the equipment.

We believe that we have secured a healthier pond for all to use and enjoy. Yearly contributions have made that possible. We invite your participation, and welcome inquiries about our efforts to contribute to the ecological health of our watershed.

–Deborah Aylesworth; July, 2015

Some History of Skinequit Pond

According to Josiah Paine, John Skinequit, a local native American, sold most of his territory on the east side of Skinequit Pond, and the herring brook draining Skinequit Pond, to Jeremiah Howes of Yarmouth in 1692. He and his son, also John, sold further land in the area to Jeremiah Howes in 1698 [A History of Harwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts; Josiah Paine; reprinted 1971, Parnassus Imprints; p90].

Paine also says that Thomas Howes subsequently sold part of this land, described as “The eastern part, from the Red River Westward, containing 30 acres”, to John Paine of Chatham in 1787. [Paine, p91] Presumably Thomas Howes was a direct descendant of Jeremiah Howes, most likely a grandson.

Maps from the middle of the nineteenth century show a single house on the pond, belonging to “S. Eldridge,” or “Mrs. Eldridge”. The exact provenance of the house is unknown, but it is thought to have been built around 1800, most likely by a member of the Paine family. That house, along with a succession of additions and modifications, stood on the same location, on a knoll on the southeast side of the pond, until 2010.

The original house, along with 6 acres, was sold by Abigail Eldridge in 1885. This appears to have been the beginning of a process of subdivision that coincided with the arrival of the railroad, and associated development, including development of Wychmere in Harwichport.

The Eldridge property was bought by Alexis Julien in 1892, and held in the Julien family until 1921. Alexis Julien was a member of the Wychmere Syndicate, a group of three businessmen who developed and promoted Wychmere Harbor and surrounding real estate holdings.

Skinequit Pond Wildlife

Skinequit Pond and its environs host a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, fish, birds and insects. The pond’s water provides a habitat for bullfrogs, green frogs, painted and snapping turtles, fresh water mussels, catfish, sunfish, perch and smaller fish such as minnows. In the spring, alewife herring struggle up the herring run on Uncle Venie’s Road to spawn in the pond; after laying their eggs, the females return to the sea, while the young herring remain in the freshwater until maturity. Invertebrates-pond skaters, dragonflies, mayflies, beetles -also call the pond home.

The pond’s most infamous resident is a large snapping turtle affectionately named Uncle Venie and estimated to be between 50 and 75 years old. He often can be seen poking his head out of the water and checking out activity on the pond. In fact, there are likely several snapping turtles of similar size and age and at least one Mrs. Venie, who has been seen leaving the pond to lay eggs each spring.

Skinequit’s fresh waters attract many birds that feast on the pond’s plentiful fish. In addition to the ubiquitous gulls, cormorants, ducks and geese, ospreys, hawks (red tailed, cooper’s and many more) and owls often circle the pond looking for dinner. One can often hear the distinctive call of the kingfisher or see the majestic flight of a great blue heron returning to its nest. The pond has also been a temporary home to swans, snowy egrets, night herons, great white egrets and many other fowl. The woods and birdfeeders around the pond attract a wide array of species, including blue jays, cardinals, orioles, tanagers, finches, chickadees, hummingbirds, mourning doves, woodpeckers, robins, and crows.

The areas around the pond provide a sheltered habitat for animals such as muskrats, voles, opossum, fisher cats, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, foxes, cottontail rabbits and deer. On occasion, the eerie shriek of a fisher cat or the yipping of a den of coyote pups can be heard late at night-sounds one does not easily forget!

The ecosystem that has developed around Skinequit Pond is dependent on a number of variables in order survive. Water temperature, oxygen content, water cleanliness and material at the bottom of the pond all have an influence on the kind of life that is present in and around the pond. Although some of this is beyond human control, preventing further contamination and finding solutions to improve the quality of the water will contribute to the health and welfare of the pond’s wildlife and bring enjoyment to the human residents for many years to come.