South Watuppa Pond

The Watuppa Ponds are two large, naturally-occurring, spring-fed, glacially-formed ponds located in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The two ponds were originally one, connected by a narrow channel near what is now the boundary between Fall River and Westport. North Watuppa Pond (1,805 acres) is the second-largest naturally-occurring body of water within Massachusetts, has been used as the City of Fall River's primary drinking water supply since the 19th century, and drains into South Watuppa Pond by a small stream channel in an area known as the Narrows. An ice house was also built in 1864 along the shores of North Watuppa Pond and operated during the 19th Century, the remains of which are still standing, although greatly covered by overgrown woods in recent years. The North Watuppa Pond is patrolled by the City's Water Department, and all activities including fishing, boating, swimming or skating are strictly prohibited. South Watuppa Pond (1,551 acres) is ranked as the third-largest naturally-occurring body of water within Massachusetts, and is also fed by Sucker Brook near its eastern shore which flows from Stafford Pond in nearby Tiverton, Rhode Island. The ponds are drained by the Quequechan River, which flows in a westerly direction through the center of Fall River from South Watuppa Pond to Mount Hope Bay. Historically, several textile factories have been located on the shores of the South Watuppa Pond, including the Fall River Bleachery and the Kerr Thread Mills. South Watuppa Pond is currently surrounded by many private residences, and public access is fairly limited. A public boat ramp is located at "Dave's Beach", off the end of Jefferson Street near the former Bleachery. Transparency is very good, around 6-feet, in the winter and spring. However this drops to 2 or 3-feet in the summer months during the algae bloom. Aquatic vegetation is scant throughout the pond however this does become denser in the southern section near the entrance of Stony Brook. This is mainly because of the very shallow depth of about 2 to 3-feet. Another inlet is Sucker Brook located in the northwest corned that is in a cove just south of the boat ramp. There are a number of rocks in this area, the bottom is composed of ruble, rock and muck, and there is very little stratification. Some parts of the pond are heavily developed on both the eastern and western shores, except for the entire northern shoreline, which abuts the highway system. It is the high amount of submergent rocks that the pond has been known for and this can cause problems for boaters. One of these areas is a large bed of submerged rocks, with perks just sticking out, in the north central area. Another rocky area is on the eastern shore at the top of the narrow edge of the pond where it starts to expand out. However some edges around the shore do drop quickly. One area is along the embankment near where the highway was put in on the west side. This area drops to about 9-feet and boats can maneuver almost right up to shore.