Hardy Pond is a pond located in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...

. Originally almost twice the size, in recent times the pond level was lowered in an inappropriate approach to controlling flooding. The quality of the water has degraded due to

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

caused by run-off from roads, fertilizers, and storm drain inputs. The pond is contiguous with of adjoining

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s. It is a popular site for bird sightings, with over 140 species listed.

External links

Hardy Pond Association was largely responsible for restoring the pond to a healthier state, raising funds for dredging and improvements to the storm sewer system.
Lakes of Middlesex County, Massachusetts Ponds of Massachusetts {{MiddlesexCountyMA-geo-stub