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MMSiickutetts
Addressing Agricultural Runoff Restored Martins Pond Brook
Waterbody Improved Martin's Pond Brook, which flows through a critical area known
for its unique biological, physical and cultural resources, had been
impacted by agricultural nonpoint source pollution since the late 19th century. Excess sediments
and nutrients from livestock areas caused in-stream turbidity, siltation, and organic enrichment/
low dissolved oxygen, which prompted the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
(MassDEP) to add Martin's Pond Brook to the state's 1992 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters. The Town of Groton partnered with local watershed groups, farmers, and state
and federal agencies to implement best management practices (BMPs). A local farm also lowered its
herd size. As a result, Martin's Pond Brook now meets Massachusetts' state water quality standards,
prompting MassDEP to remove the brook from the impaired waters list in 2012 for turbidity,
siltation, and organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen.
Problem
Martin's Pond Brook is in the Nashua River watershed
and flows 2.3 miles from Martin's Pond to Lost Lake
near Groton, Massachusetts (Figure 1). The brook flows
through the Petapawag Area of Critical Environmental
Concern (ACEC). The Petapawag area was designated
an ACEC in 2002 for its unique biological, physical and
cultural resources, including 16 state-listed rare spe-
cies, 15 state-certified vernal pools, unique and highly
significant archaeological and historical resources, and
scenic landscapes of statewide significance.
Nonpoint source pollution from agricultural opera-
tions have impacted Martin's Brook since the as early
as 1897. A 240-acre farm had been a cattle farm for
nearly 60 years when, in 2005, this area was purchased
to support an apple orchard, an organic vegetable
operation and a beef farm. The Martin's Pond Brook
was designated in the 1992 Integrated Report as
impaired for siltation, turbidity, and organic enrich-
ment/low dissolved oxygen in part due to nonpoint
source pollution, including stormwater runoff in live-
stock areas and physical degradation by the livestock.
Story Highlights
In 2000, the MassDEP Massachusetts Department
of Conservation and Recreation (MassDCR), the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), Town of Groton, and
Figure 1. Martin's Pond Brook is in northern
Massachusetts.
local landowners began to address the brook's impair-
ments. The Town of Groton, through its Conservation
Commission, also became involved with associated
water quality issues (turbidity, siltation, organic
enrichment/low dissolved oxygen) in the Martin's Pond
Brook watershed by helping implement conservation
restrictions and management plans. The watershed
was once the center of farming operations for Gibbet
Hill Farm, a premier Angus cattle breeding facility.
The farm was sold in 2000; in 2002, a Conservation
Restriction was put on its 250 acres with help from the
Martin's Pond Brook, Groton, Massachusetts

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town, MassDCR, and private funding.
At the sale, the former farmlands
were separated into two properties:
(1) a significantly reduced cattle
operation with approximately 65
head of cattle (down from approxi-
mately 120 cattle); and (2) an eques-
trian center with some cattle grazing
and hay production. These parcels
continue to be working farms,
and both had conservation plans
developed by the NRCS (Figure 2).
The plans, which were created in
2005 and updated in 2009, address
issues such as manure and nutrient
management, excluding livestock
from wetlands, and maintaining
permanent vegetative cover. In 2010,
to further ensure the area is pro-
tected, the Massachusetts Executive
Office for Environmental Affairs (EOEA) provided a
Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant
to fund the purchase and protection of 7 acres for
the Martin's Pond Conservation Area. Additionally, in
2004, the state purchased an Agricultural Preservation
Restriction on 114 acres of the property's 191 acres.
l-igure 2. Cattle graze on Gibbet Hill in Groton, Massachusetts, after the
improvement project was completed.
pollution partners. The conservation restrictions,
along with a conservation plan for the remaining
agricultural operations and an overall decrease in the
number of livestock, led to noticeable decreases in the
amounts of sediment and nutrients entering Martin's
Pond Brook.
Results
In July 2004, MassDEP's Division of Watershed
Management (DWM) collected benthic macroinverte-
brates and periphyton at a site just downstream of the
farming area. The Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RPB)
IN score, when compared to a reference site, indicated
that the benthic macroinvertebrate community was
slightly impacted. The DWM conducted monthly in-situ
water quality monitoring at another site downstream
of the farming area on three occasions during
July, August, and September 2004. All parameters
measured—dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, total
dissolved solids, and conductivity—were indicative of
good water quality conditions and did not show any
violations of state water quality criteria.
Water quality improvements indicated by MassDEP
sampling were the result of conservation restrictions
placed on agricultural lands in 2002 and BMPs imple-
mented on the farms with assistance from NRCS and
MassDCR, two of MassDEP's close nonpoint source
As a result of improved water quality due to restora-
tion activities, the brook attained all assessed uses,
Including primary and secondary contact, aquatic life,
and aesthetics. As a result, MassDEP removed Martin's
Pond Brook from the state's list of impaired waters in
2012.
Partners and Funding
This project involved cooperation of the Town of
Groton Conservation Commission and Great Pond
Advisory Committee, NRCS, MassDCR, MassDEP, and
the Nashua River Watershed Association. In 2002 the
Town of Groton's Conservation Fund paid $500,000
of the $3.5 million conservation restriction purchase
price; the remainder was paid by MassDCR and the
Groton Conservation Trust. The 2010 Massachusetts
Executive Office for Environmental Affairs provided a
Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant of
$93,600 to purchase and protect seven acres for the
Martin's Pond Conservation Area.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-20-0Q1NN
December 2020
For additional information contact:
Malcolm M. Harper
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
508-767-2795 • Malcolm.Harper@mass.gov

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