Flows into: Cape Cod Canal 

Communities: Plymouth

The Herring Ponds Watershed Association (HPWA) was established in 2007 as a volunteer neighborhood association.

Our focus is health of all the water in our watershed : the groundwater we pump and use in our homes, the water in ponds and streams we enjoy for recreation, and that used by native plants and wildlife in our neighborhoods and ecosystem.

HPWA works to raise awareness of the importance and fragility of our state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), to protect and preserve the ponds and watershed through citizen science and education.

Our ACEC encompasses 4450-acres in southern Plymouth and Bourne, including 11 ponds (the largest, Great Herring is 376 acres), two rivers, numerous freshwater wetlands, productive cranberry bogs, an important and active herring run, and over 250 acres of protected open space.

Our all-volunteer efforts include regular water quality sampling, supplemental runoff event sampling, flow gauge reporting, and public educational programs. We also created The Herring Ponds Watershed – Stewardship and Volunteer Action Guide, featuring information on the water cycle, ponds, wildlife, history, and emphasizing tips for protection of and sustainable living in the watershed.