Puffer’s Pond Remains Closed to Swimming. Here’s a FAQ on the Status of the Pond.

Source: amherstma.gov

Due to high bacteria levels, Puffer’s Pond is closed for swimming. Updated July 31, 2024.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who oversees Puffer’s Pond and the water testing?

The Conservation Commission has oversight authority over Puffer’s Pond, with the Conservation Department handling daily management and water testing.

How often is the water at Puffers tested?

The Amherst Conservation Department conducts weekly water quality tests during the swimming season (Memorial Day – Labor Day). Water quality samples are usually taken on Tuesdays. Results are typically available and published on the Town website by Wednesday afternoon.

What are the risks of swimming in contaminated waters?

High counts of E. coli indicate possible contamination by feces (poop), increasing the risk of exposure to pathogens that can cause illness.  Young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable. Swallowing contaminated water poses the highest risk of E. coli infection. However, there is still a chance of infection from activities such as wading in the water and then touching your eyes or face. Symptoms of exposure include diarrhea, skin rashes, stomach cramps, and fever. Some strains can be severe and potentially life-threatening, requiring medical treatment.

What causes high E. coli levels?

High E. coli levels can result from various factors. Large rainstorms can wash dog or bird feces into the water. Farm manure runoff and aging sanitary sewer pipes leaking sewage can also contribute to contamination.

If one beach is deemed “acceptable” while the other is not, why is the whole pond closed?

Each body of water is unique. Some beaches may be more vulnerable to contamination due to water circulation patterns, beach design, surrounding land use, and nearby stormwater outfalls. Given the small size of Puffer’s – and the fact that many people do choose to swim across the pond – the Conservation Department closes the entire pond for swimming if one beach has excessive bacteria, erring on the side of caution.

What standards are we using to make our determination?

The Code of Massachusetts Regulations (105 CMR 445.031) establishes the water quality standards for freshwater swimming. The two main criteria are:

• Single Sample Standard: E. coli levels should not exceed 235 MPN (an estimate of the number of bacterial colonies) per 100 milliliters (ml) of water in a single test.
• Geometric Mean Standard: The average (geomean) of multiple tests over five days should not exceed 126 MPN per 100 ml.

The geometric mean helps provide a more accurate picture of water quality over time, as it averages the results of several tests, reducing the impact of a single high result. 

Water must meet both standards to be safe for swimming.

What is the town doing to improve the situation at Puffers?

Puffer’s Pond is a vital community resource, especially during the heat of the summer. However, maintaining water quality in small lakes and ponds is a persistent challenge that many municipalities throughout the state are facing and that has been exacerbated by climate change and aging sewage infrastructure. The causes of high bacteria levels in these water bodies can be difficult to identify and address, often involving multiple sources of contamination rather than a single “point-source.” This complexity makes it hard to implement effective solutions. 

The Town of Amherst is working to identify and mitigate the sources of bacterial contamination in Puffer’s Pond. Potential sources include upstream septic systems, dog waste from trail walkers, street runoff, excrement from ducks and geese, pond sediments, and livestock waste upstream. The Conservation Department has been taking the following steps to address the problem:

• Seeking assistance from scientists and experts at UMass to identify and address sources of contamination.
• Initiating an upstream testing program to trace and pinpoint the sources of E. coli.
• Developing a comprehensive restoration plan for the beaches and trails around Puffer’s Pond.
• Submitting grant applications to address deficiencies with the dam and dike.
• Conducting research to analyze the depth of the pond and the composition of its sediments.

Although there are currently no dedicated funds in town budgets to address the water quality issues at the pond, the town’s Capital Improvement Program has several improvements on the five-year plan including dam/dike repair, restrooms, trail/beach improvements, and parking improvements. We are seeking outside grants to facilitate these investments and are also planning to seek outside funds to dredge the pond.

Where else can I cool down if Puffer’s Pond is closed to swimming?

Amherst offers two outdoor swimming pools, a wading pool, and a spray pad for community use. During extreme heat, these facilities may be free and open to the public. For more information on pool access, please contact the Recreation Department or visit the Town of Amherst Pools website.

Additionally, The Jones Library and Bangs Center serve as designated Cooling Centers on extremely hot days. 

To check if other local bodies of water are safe for swimming, check out the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard.

Puffers Pond Overview

As a much loved and widely used natural amenity, Puffer’s Pond has been, and continues to be, an integral area that helps define North Amherst. The Pond is the largest open water body in Amherst and a prominent recreation area for fishing, birding, nature walking, canoeing, picnicking and swimming. Located approximately 3 miles north of the town center, Puffer’s Pond is approximately 11 acres in size with an average depth of 5 feet and a maximum depth of more than 20 feet. The pond is also known as Factory Hollow Pond and is identified on some USGS maps by this name. 

The pond’s users and uses have changed over time and today it is the centerpiece of a greenbelt conservation area that stretches from Route 63 east to the Amherst town line bordering Shutesbury and Leverett. This riparian corridor includes the formal Mill River Recreation Area, foot trails that meander though the floodplain of the Mill River below the Pond, Puffer’s Pond, and Cushman Brook, which flows down from the hills of Shutesbury into the Pond.

The variety of landscapes found along the Mill River, especially Puffer’s Pond, are highly valued by the public. Amherst residents, students, visitors and tourists enjoy Puffer’s Pond so much that they may be ‘loving it to death.’ 

Most of the land within the Mill River corridor is town-owned conservation land and open to the public, with an extensive trail network that brings people into environmentally sensitive areas. Many residents and visitors now expect to use the Puffer’s Pond area free of charge and as frequently and in almost any manner they wish, creating management challenges as they contribute significantly to the area’s many environmental and ecological problems. The public may incorrectly believe that since the Mill River is a conservation area, it is ‘natural’ and therefore in satisfactory condition requiring little management or town regulations. However, as one of a few largely unregulated public ponds in the state, no action would exacerbate a variety of problems: erosion along the pond’s shore and nearby stream banks, degradation of the pond’s beach area, and decreased water quality. 

Even though it is a largely unregulated public pond, citizens, volunteer committees, and town staff have envisioned implementing a management plan at Puffer’s Pond for decades. Since its inception, Puffer’s Pond and the surrounding landscape were acquired by the town for conservation purposes to preserve the river corridor and its important habitat from development. However, even before Amherst owned the area, it was a recreation destination, attracting hundreds of visitors per day during the summer months. The complexity of managing Puffer’s Pond is that these two uses, conservation and recreation, typically require different land use goals and management strategies.

Without a management plan, even the best efforts to resolve issues are just stopgap measures that do not amount to a long-term vision or achieve conservation goals. Currently, regular maintenance, safety and public outreach are coordinated without the benefit of such a plan, jeopardizing the town’s ability to leverage funds for basic services that are crucial to maintaining (the conservation habitat of ) Puffer’s Pond.