Ponkapoag Pond Dam - Canton, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 11.413 W 071° 06.323
19T E 326153 N 4673041
Quick Description: The Ponkapoag Pond Dam, which was reconstructed and reopened in June 2009, regulates the level of a pond that includes a rare bog habitat at one end of the pond.
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 10/22/2009 8:13:19 PM
Waymark Code: WM7GB4
Views: 1
Long Description:At one end of Ponkapoag Pond on the Canton side, at the end of the
access road, Maple Ave., through the Ponkapoag Golf Course, there
is a new path and dam that regulates the pond level.
To get to the dam, park at the golf course parking lot at the
intersection of Washington Street and Turnpike Street. From there,
walk toward a paved road to the right of the club house. Follow the
paved road between the golf course links to the end where there is
a path and a metal gate. The path goes along the levee and by the
spillway.
The dam lies wholly within the Blue Hills Reservation, which is
managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and
Recreation. The earthen dam is about 7-8 feet high and is about
1,300 feet long. The brook that flows from the dam goes through
woods and eventually joins the Neponset River. The old dam
controlled the height of the pond via wooden boards. The old dam
had deteriorated to the point where it was leaking and it was
determined that the dam could not hold up against a 100 year flood
event. The new dam cost about $1.4 million to build.
The pond is wide, but shallow. Two thirds of the lake is open
and borders mixed woods. On one third, a white cedar bog covers the
pond. The golf course borders the pond near the dam. On either end
of the pond, not near the dam, are wooded cabin camps, one for the
YMCA, and the other for AMC. The rest of the area are undeveloped
woods. Fishing is allowed on the pond, but I'm not certain about on
the dam. Motor boats are right out, but I have seen canoes on the
pond.
Sources:
Media Advisory (About the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in June 2009):
(visit link)
Final Record of Decision, Mass. Executive Office of Energy and
Environmental Affairs (Ponkapoag Dam Project, April 2008):
(visit link)
Friends of the Blue Hills Newsletter (June 2008, provides
information and a picture of the state of the old dam):
(visit link)