Long Pond is a lake within the towns of Lakeville and

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, in southeastern

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It shares its waters with

Assawompset Pond Assawompset Pond is a reservoir/pond within the towns of Lakeville and Middleboro, in southeastern Massachusetts. It shares its waters with Long Pond and is openly connected with Pocksha Pond.USGS Quadrangle Map These lakes provide a source of ...

. These lakes provide a source of drinking water to the city of

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

, the largest city in

southeastern Massachusetts Southeastern Massachusetts consists of those portions of Massachusetts located along Buzzards Bay, including the cities of New Bedford and Fall River and their respective suburbs. Despite the location of Cape Cod and the islands to its south, ...

. Long Pond is roughly wide by miles long, and contains three islands within its boundaries. In 1894 Assawompset Pond was dammed, increasing the water depth of Long Pond (which is connected by a small river) by about . This created Nelson Island and caused Sunken Island to disappear due to erosion. All that remains of Sunken Island are the rocks in a shallow area just to the northwest of Lewis Island. Lewis Island is the largest of the three remaining islands today, containing sixteen privately owned cottages, while the second largest island, Nelson Island, was purchased in 2005 and now is a year-round private residence. The smallest island, Goat Island, was recently purchased from the

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

by a private citizen. Along the perimeter of the lake are many homes and private access points to the waterfront. Long Pond is well known for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

. At the northeast corner of the lake is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

that meanders through the Parkhurst development and is navigable by boat. There is a small bridge that allows foot and road traffic onto the artificial island. In the northwest corner of the lake is a river that feeds into Assawompset Pond, which winds through the marshland before passing under Route 18 and connecting with Assawompset. It is locally known as the "Snake River," but is also labeled as the Long Pond River on some maps.

Islands

There are three islands on Long Pond. They are listed from the southernmost to the northernmost island. * Goat * Lewis * Nelson

Navigational hazards

The lake has several potentially hazardous areas for boaters. There is a sand bar that connects Nelson Island to the mainland that varies from about three feet to only inches deep, and is sometimes fully exposed in the mid to late summer. Because of the lake's shallow depth (on average around nine feet), many large rocks pose serious threats. Not all of these rocks are clearly marked, but most are. The largest of these rocks is known as Acre Rock because of its approximate size. It is flat on its top, lies close to the surface and sits midway between the east and west shores of the pond, approximately 1/4 mile north of Hemlock Point at Long Pond's southern end. Acre Rock lies approximately at the town line separating Lakeville and Freetown. Another hazard to look out for is Sunken Island. It is located about 100 yards north from the north east corner of Lewis Island. Birds can sometimes been seen resting on these rocks. For a boater inexperienced navigating Long Pond, it is always advisable to remain on the western side of the islands when traveling north or south to avoid the many rocks and sandbars that exist. Also when passing Nelson Island going north or south, always do so in the middle of the channel between the island and shoreline, due to a string of several rocks running north and south off the island's western tip. When entering the lake's southwestern area, to the west of Hemlock Point, avoid the middle of the entrance due to several rocks that are not always marked. In 1913, seven people were killed when the ''Farina'', a powerboat, sank in Long Pond.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Taunton River watershed Lakes of Bristol County, Massachusetts Lakes of Plymouth County, Massachusetts Freetown, Massachusetts Lakeville, Massachusetts Lakes of Massachusetts