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The Watuppa Ponds are two large, naturally occurring, spring-fed, glacially formed ponds located in
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
and
Westport,
. ''Watuppa'' is a native word meaning "place of boats". The two ponds were originally one body of water (originally one lake), connected by a narrow rocky straight called "The Narrows" located on a thin strip of land between the two ponds which forms part boundary of between Fall River and Westport. The border between Fall River and Westport is also divided between the two ponds.
Together, the ponds have an overall north–south length of about 7.5 miles (or 8 miles including the pond swamps), and have an average east–west width of about a mile. The ponds are drained by the
Quequechan River
The Quequechan River is a river in Fall River, Massachusetts, Fall River, Massachusetts, that flows in a northwesterly direction from the northwest corner of the Watuppa Ponds, South Watuppa Pond through the heart of the city of Fall River, M ...
, and flows in a westerly direction through the center of
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
from South Watuppa Pond to
Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope (Rhode Island), Mount Hope, a small hill located on its ...
.
Description
With a surface area of 1,805 acres, (1760 acres
) The North Watuppa Pond is the second-largest naturally occurring body of water within
.
It is about 4.2 miles long in the north–south direction, and averages about a mile in width. The North Watuppa Pond has 12.4 miles of shoreline and has a maximum depth of 25 feet and is strictly off limits to the public for any recreation.
It has been used as the City of Fall River's primary drinking water supply since 1873, when the
Fall River Waterworks was built on its western shore, at the end of Bedford Street. It drains into South Watuppa Pond by a small channel at its southern end, in an area known as The Narrows. The northeastern shore of North Watuppa Pond, known as Copicut Reservation, is sparsely developed, and contains a vast area of protected land as part of the city's water supply. Several small streams drain into the pond, including King Philip Brook, Queen Gutter Brook, and Blossom Brook, among others. The north end of North Watuppa Pond is crossed by a stone
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
, at the end of Wilson Road. The western shore of the reservoir contains a man-made canal that diverts stormwater runoff from the city to South Watuppa Pond. Public access to North Watuppa Pond is restricted, and the area is regularly patrolled by the city's water department. All activities including fishing, boating, swimming or skating are strictly prohibited. Including the pond swamp north of the causeway The North and South Watuppa Ponds together represent a complete 7.5 to 8 mile body of water.
The South Watuppa Pond contains 1,551 acres (1446 acres
), and is the third-largest naturally occurring body of water within
.
The trumpet-shaped pond is about 3.0 miles long. It is about 0.5 miles wide at its southern end and about 1.5 miles wide at its northern end, with a large cove on the Westport side. The South Watuppa Pond contains 10.4 miles of shoreline and is on average 15 feet deep and contains maximum depth of 22 feet.
It is fed by a combination of springs and streams, including Sucker Brook near its eastern shore which flows from Stafford Pond in nearby
Tiverton, Rhode Island
Tiverton is a New England town, town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census.
Geography
Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, across the Sa ...
, as well as from the south by Stony Brook, which drains Sawdy Pond and Devol Pond. South Watuppa Pond is a popular fishing area with boat access from a city-managed public boat ramp located off the end of Jefferson Street, in an area known as "Dave's Beach". Some common fish species in the pond include
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
smallmouth bass,
tiger muskie
The tiger muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy × lucius'' or ''Esox lucius × masquinongy''), commonly called tiger muskie, is a carnivorous fish, and is the usually-sterile, hybrid offspring of the true muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy'') and the no ...
,
white perch
The white perch (''Morone americana'') is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".
The name "White perc ...
and
black crappie
The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...
.
History
Prior to the 1862 boundary adjustment between
and
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, South Watuppa Pond was located entirely within the town of
Tiverton, Rhode Island
Tiverton is a New England town, town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census.
Geography
Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, across the Sa ...
, as was the southern third of North Watuppa Pond.
North Watuppa Pond once contained several ice houses along its western shore, beginning in the 1840s. The granite walls of one of these ice houses, built in 1864 by Robert Cook and William Durfee, still exist on a peninsula near the end of New Boston Road, at what was once known as Interlachen, the estate of Spencer Borden, founder of the
Fall River Bleachery
Fall River Bleachery is an historic textile bleachery on Jefferson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The bleachery was built in 1872 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Historical background
The primary product of m ...
. Interlachen once contained a large mansion, gardens, horse pastures and a network of
bridle path
A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider r ...
s. The house was demolished after the city acquired the land by
eminent domain
Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
for the protection of the water supply. The foundation is all that remains of the Borden mansion today, and the land has mostly reverted to woods.
Until 1872, small steam-boats carried passengers from downtown Fall River to a picnic area on the eastern shore of North Watuppa Pond in Westport known as Adirondack Grove.
In 1875, the
Fall River Railroad was completed along the north shore of South Watuppa Pond, over the Narrows. It provided a rail link from
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 ...
to the eastern part of Fall River. The line carried freight traffic until the early 1980s. Eventually, the road connecting Fall River with Westport became designated as
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...
. It originally ran along the southern edge of North Watuppa Pond, creating a small pond between the road and the railroad, that became a popular spot for recreation, including ice skating in the winter. The adjacent north shore of South Watuppa Pond was for many years occupied by boat clubs, restaurants and other recreational establishments.
The Fall River Expressway was built along the western shore of North Watuppa Pond in the early 1950s. Now known as
Route 24, it was later extended toward
Tiverton along the western shore of South Watuppa Pond. In 1963,
Interstate 195 was constructed through the Narrows dividing North and South Watuppa Ponds. Route 6 was re-routed to the south along Martine Street, and the small pond was filled in.
Historically, several textile factories have been located on the northern shores of South Watuppa Pond, including the
Fall River Bleachery
Fall River Bleachery is an historic textile bleachery on Jefferson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The bleachery was built in 1872 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Historical background
The primary product of m ...
, Kerr Thread Mills, Lincoln Manufacturing Company, Stevens Manufacturing Company and Heywood Narrow Fabric Company. The eastern and southwestern shores of the pond is currently surrounded by many private residences, and public access is fairly limited. Many of these residences were damaged during the historic floods of March 2010.
The pond is also used for many recreational sports such as tubing, knee boarding and wake boarding and water skiing. The former railroad bed has also been converted into a multi-use
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
.
See also
*
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
*
Quequechan River
The Quequechan River is a river in Fall River, Massachusetts, Fall River, Massachusetts, that flows in a northwesterly direction from the northwest corner of the Watuppa Ponds, South Watuppa Pond through the heart of the city of Fall River, M ...
*
Fall River Bleachery
Fall River Bleachery is an historic textile bleachery on Jefferson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The bleachery was built in 1872 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Historical background
The primary product of m ...
References
External links
MassWildlife South Watuppa Pond map and info
{{Massachusetts lakes and ponds
Ponds of Massachusetts
Bodies of water of Bristol County, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Westport, Massachusetts