Fresh Pond is the largest exposed portion of Shelter Island’s aquifer, a recharge basin for the only source of drinking water on Shelter Island. Each year, 100 million gallons of fresh water flow through Fresh Pond and into our creeks, estuaries and bays.

Last year, Shelter Island was awarded $325,000 in State and Country grants for long-term deep water cleanup in the pond. The Fresh Pond Neighbors Association will continue to sample, test, and with community help, fund clean ups of surface waters.

This summer algal mats spread widely near shorelines. We added a series of additional laboratory water tests which you can find here on our Water Quality Data page.

Periodic blooms are primarily caused by high levels of phosphorus in the bottom sediments of Fresh Pond. It is essential to clean up the bottom as well as the surface of the pond to insure safe conditions for recreation, for pets, and for wildlife and to keep the aquifer clear of contaminants.

The equipment we we are installing will eliminate problems at the bottom of the pond and dramatically reduce nitrogen flowing into our creeks and bays. It will take a few more years of work, but we can make a permanent change for our community, our kids, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, for generations to come. 

Our citizen science efforts, now in our ninth year, are supported by the NYS Federation of Lake Associations and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

With your generous support, Fresh Pond can be a beacon of hope – showing us what Shelter Islanders can do if our communities pull together.