White Pond (Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White Pond |
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 White Pond
Location in Massachusetts
White Pond
Location in the United States
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| Location | Stow and Hudson, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°23′29″N 71°28′49″W / 42.39139°N 71.48028°W |
| Type | reservoir/lake |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 58.5 acres (23.7 ha) |
White Pond is a beautiful lake located in the towns of Stow and Hudson, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It's about 58.5 acres big. For many years, this lake was an important source of drinking water for the nearby town of Maynard. The town of Maynard still has special rights to the water and owns some land around the pond. White Pond is very close to Lake Boon, but their waters do not connect.
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A Look Back: White Pond's History
Why is it called White Pond?
Long ago, in the 1800s, a writer described White Pond as a "fine sheet of water." It got its name because of its clear, sandy bottom. This white sand made the water look a special light color.
Railroads and Ice Harvesting
By 1828, people were already planning a railroad route around White Pond. Eventually, train tracks were built along one side of the pond. In the mid-1800s, White Pond was a busy place for cutting ice. Large amounts of ice were harvested from the pond and stored in an ice house near the railroad tracks. This ice was then shipped to other places.
Providing Drinking Water
In 1888, the state of Massachusetts gave the town of Maynard the right to use White Pond for its water supply. The very next year, in 1889, Maynard built a three-mile-long pipeline. This pipeline used gravity to carry water from White Pond to Maynard. Once in Maynard, the water was pumped up to a reservoir on Summer Hill. From there, it was sent to homes all over town.
Caring for the Pond and Water System
In 1935, two government programs, the Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.), helped clean up the forest around the pond. They also planted new trees to keep the area healthy.
Later, in 1942, the old water pipeline to Maynard was replaced with a new, stronger concrete pipe. Sometimes, White Pond's water level would get low due to droughts. To help with this, Maynard got a well in 1964. This well was located in a nearby U.S. Army area, which is now the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. Water from this well could be pumped into White Pond when needed. In the early 1970s, Maynard got even more wells to help with its water supply.
Changes to the Water Supply
White Pond continued to provide drinking water to Maynard until the 1990s. At that time, the water system needed a big upgrade to meet new rules for clean water. Instead of spending a lot of money to update the White Pond system, Maynard decided to get all its water from wells instead. So, White Pond stopped being a main source of drinking water for the town.
However, Maynard still owns the water rights to White Pond. In 2019, there were discussions about possibly using White Pond for water again in the future. This would help Maynard have more options for its water supply. But it would be a very big project, costing millions of dollars to build a new water treatment plant and replace the old pipeline.
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This document from 1888 gave Maynard the right to use White Pond for water.
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A sign showing that White Pond is part of Maynard's water supply.
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A building near White Pond used by the Maynard Water Department.
