Cliff Pond is a

kettle pond A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...

Brewster, Massachusetts Brewster is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population of Brewster was 10,318 at the 2020 census. Brewster is twinned with the town of Budleigh Salterton in the U ...

. It is the largest pond in

Nickerson State Park Nickerson State Park is a state-owned, public recreation area of more than located on Cape Cod in Brewster, Massachusetts. The park's sandy soil and scrub pines surround many kettle ponds which are dependent on groundwater and precipitation. The ...

and is quite popular with swimmers and fishermen in summer months. Cliff Pond was totally reclaimed in 1960 and, like many kettle ponds has been treated for alkalinity over the years. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife stocks the pond in spring and fall with various trout species. It also has smallmouth bass and various other species. In 1992, a world record American eel (8 pounds, 9 ounces, 46 inches long, 10.5 inches in girth) was caught. The pond has had repeated problems with

bluegreen algae Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blue ...

blooms causing closures over the years and was treated in spring 2016 with

aluminum sulfate Aluminium sulfate is a salt with the formula Al2 (SO4)3. It is soluble in water and is mainly used as a coagulating agent (promoting particle collision by neutralizing charge) in the purification of drinking water and wastewater treatment plant ...

. Water transparency has improved and the treatment is expected to last twenty years.

References

External links

MassWildlife map and info

"The Amazing Cliff Pond Trail"
capecodonline.com (Photos of the pond) * Brewster, Massachusetts Ponds of Barnstable County, Massachusetts Ponds of Massachusetts {{BarnstableCountyMA-geo-stub