The Cape Cod National Seashore is no longer testing Wellfleet's kettle ponds for water quality metrics.
That's according to Tyler Jager of the Provincetown Independent.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke with Tyler recently to learn more about why this testing matters and who will pick up the responsibility.
Gilda Geist What is the purpose of testing Wellfleet's kettle ponds?
Tyler Jager From the outside, I think that kettle ponds often look pristine to a visitor, but without testing for data that's really crucial for knowing what kinds of pollutants are affecting the ponds—whether that's nitrogen and phosphorus pollution or whether the pH alkalinity of the ponds has changed—we won't really know what kinds of environmental health concerns exist there. And as the Association to Preserve Cape Cod's director Andrew Gottlieb tells us, the Wellfleet ponds are one of the most undisturbed water environments we see anywhere on the Cape, so their health is really a baseline [for] comparison and provides data to compare it to other ponds in the region.
GG Cape Cod National Seashore was previously responsible for testing Wellfleet's kettle ponds. Why did they stop?
TJ They stopped reportedly due to a funding cut, according to the town's Natural Resource Advisory Board and Mr. Gottlieb. This happened earlier in the year—sometime in March it was announced. It's not exactly clear what precise federal funding cut may have led the Seashore to pause this program and pass the cost to the town. It's difficult to get an answer from them at the moment due to the ongoing government shutdown, but we know that it was a specific funding cut that was announced to stakeholders sometime earlier this year.
GG Can you describe what the water quality testing actually looks like and what makes it so expensive?
TJ So, there are a number of different water quality monitoring programs across the Cape for kettle ponds. The ones that are affected here are for real baseline metrics such as pH dissolved oxygen, pond temperature, conductivity. And they follow two different scheduling regimens—one that's every other week and one that's three times a year. And they both involve going out on a canoe to essentially the deepest part of the pond and using a couple different tools—for instance, a Van Dorn sampler to take water samples at different depths, or a disk that's used to measure water clarity—to find those metrics and collect all that data, formerly at the Seashore, but now being done by the town and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. It's expensive just because there is the equipment part of it—specialty equipment like a Van Dorn sampler. You have to pay for staff, which has often been seasonal and provided by the Seashore—using a canoe, usually with more than one person going out onto several of the larger kettle ponds in Wellfleet. And you have to do data analysis. So the current program allows for the APCC to send its data to the Center for Coastal Studies to perform data analysis on this long stretch of data that's existed that we're now adding to three times a year and every other week.
GG What does the future of this pond monitoring program look like?
TJ Well, according to Mr. Gottlieb, his organization is happy to continue contracting with the town to continue collecting water samples, working to collect the data, perform the analysis, at least through 2026. The vote to continue that program, which is now being paid for by the town of Wellfleet, takes place this Wednesday at town meeting. It would allocate $20,000 to continue that funding to June 2026. Beyond that date, I think that would have to be a question for future town meetings in Wellfleet, unless they come up with an alternative program or unless the Seashore announces they're going to take this cost back on.
You can read Tyler's whole story, After Seashore Cuts, Wellfleet Is Paying to Test Kettle Ponds, in the Provincetown Independent.
