Pond Restoration Summary

The Friends of Butler’s Pond (FOBP) was formed in 2009 with a mission to both restore and maintain the health of the pond. The pond serves a large Quincy watershed area whose storm drainage system discharges into the pond. The water in the pond had become very dirty, the pond shallow, the landscape overwhelmed with invasive weeds, the Merrymount road fence broken, that all have contributed to an unhealthy pond eutrophication process.   

First, the FOBP partnered with the city to survey the pond for water quality, depth, watersheds torm drain discharge characteristics and sediment quality, Second, the FOBP worked with the city to treat the water quality, the invasive weeds, repair the fence, survey the storm drains and hydrorake the pond. Third, the FOBP partnered with the City to install pond benches, interpretive signage, phragmite removal, storm drain rain garden bioretention cells and on street deep sump catch basins. Most recently, the FOBP partnered with the city and its contractor to remove approximately 3900 cubic yards of sediment, install a Butler Road storm water filtering gravel wetland, install logs for turtle sun bathing and install an underwater aeration system.

The pond now has an upgraded storm water contaminate removal system along Merrymount, Marginal and Butler Roads. The four rain garden bioretention cells on Marginal Road are engineered to provide filtering of contaminated rain water from entering the pond and is maintained by the residents of 1022 Hancock Street. These four rain gardens are maintained with special plants that filter unhealthy contaminants from entering the pond. The rain garden bioretention cells are also engineered with special sediment qualities to filter contaminated rain water prior to pond entry. The deep sump catch basins on Merrymount and Butler Road provide a method to prevent contaminated storm water from entering the Pond and are maintained by the City of Quincy. A storm water gravel wetland system has been installed on the Butler Road side of the pond to prevent additional storm water contaminants from entering the pond. Recent sediment removal deepens the pond to prevent sun light from enabling  underwater plant growth to exacerbate the pond eutrophication process. A new underwater air diffusing system will provide increased pond water oxygen levels to enhance the pond water quality for better pond and wildlife health.

Looking forward, properly maintained Marginal Road rain garden bioretention cells, Butler Road gravel wetlands and the Merrymount/Butler road storm drainage on street deep sump catch basins systems coupled with best practice landscape approaches and updated pond water quality practices will best enable the future health of the pond.