Joint College, town initiative will improve water quality, maintain habitats
Dartmouth, working in partnership with the Occom Pond Neighborhood Association (OPNA), has initiated a program to improve the quality of the water entering Occom Pond. "Studies performed on the pond in recent years indicate high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water," said Associate General Counsel Ellen Arnold, who is applying her background in environmental law to help the College and the community with the project. "Working with the neighbors, the College is addressing concerns about the water quality and determining what can be done to improve the situation."
The south side of Occom Pond, showing the buffer zone of vegetation which slows the movement of runoff water, filtering silt and contaminants before they enter the pond. (Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)
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"Occom Pond is essentially a storm water runoff pond," said John Gratiot, Associate Vice President for Facilities Operations and Management. "It was formed a century ago when a dam was built at the north end of what then was a marshy area. That marshland filled with water leaving us with the pond we know today."
High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water and 15 feet of sediment at the bottom of the pond are responsible for algal blooms seen in the water during warm weather. To reduce the quantity of these pollutants (often the residue of fertilizers and other lawn treatments) in the water, the College is establishing a 50-foot riparian buffer around the pond.
The buffer, a strip of grass, shrubs and trees, slows the rate at which water moves across land and into the water. "The slower runoff water moves across land, the more silt and contaminants are left on the ground," said Gratiot. The buffer will also help control erosion and act as a wildlife habitat.
One such buffer has already been created on the pond's south side. This is significant, said Gratiot, because "sixty-five percent of the water flow into the pond comes from the south end."
The east side of the pond poses a unique challenge in that there are residential properties in this area with lawns that run down to the waterline. This fall at Dartmouth's Montgomery House, one of the houses along this stretch of Rope Ferry Road, a naturalized riparian border will be created as an example of what can be done to create such a zone while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing and functional yard.
OPNA President Bob Russell said "There have been complaints about the quality of the water from neighborhood residents for years. I know that OPNA members are absolutely behind this project."
Gratiot noted that additional initiatives may be needed in the future to address the quality of the water in Occom Pond, but he is confident that the steps currently being taken are a move in the right direction.
"These things take time," said Russell. "The neighbors of Occom Pond are interested in assisting in any way we can."
By JOEL AALBERTS
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