Almy Pond

Wetland Restoration Project

Goal

Design and construct a nature-based solution for the northeast corner of Almy Pond. This restored wetland will be able to better remove bacteria and nutrients from water flowing into the pond, with the goal of improving water quality.

Image via ABC6

Map via City of Newport

Updates

Upcoming events will be posted here.

If you have any questions, comments, or other feedback about the project, please feel free to reach out to Community Engagement Manager, Glennie LeBaron at glennie@aquidneckresilience.org

Background

Issue: Health of the Pond

The health of Almy Pond is influenced by the land around it. Rain (stormwater) that flows through the surrounding neighborhood and picks up contaminants, along with aging infrastructure, impacts the pond’s water quality. These factors contribute to contamination, negative impacts to nutrient balance, and high levels of phosphorus. The pond’s water quality is unsafe for swimming and boating and can contribute to nearby beach closures.

Goal: Improving Water Quality

This project will design a nature-based solution with the goal of improving the quality of the water of Almy Pond. Restoring the wetland in the northeast corner of the pond aims to reduce the pollutant load by removing nutrients and bacteria before they enter the pond. We hope to not only see water quality improvements, but also improved wetland and aquatic habitat, reduced contamination to Bailey's Beach and Rejects Beach, improvements to coastal water quality, and increased access to recreational activities on the pond.

Approach: Collaboration

The Aquidneck Island Land Trust is an active member of the Almy Pond Watershed Protectors, a coalition of nine local organizations which includes Salve Regina University, Newport Tree Conservancy, Newport Preservation Society, Save The Bay, Spouting Rock Beach Association Foundation, the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England, RI Department of Health (RIDOH), and RI Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). The City of Newport is also actively engaged. The Protectors are dedicated to improving water quality in Almy Pond.

Our Vision: Nature Based Solutions

The Land Trust has secured funding to design a nature-based system that removes excess nutrients from stormwater runoff entering Almy Pond. The wetland in the northeast corner of the pond is home to the stormwater outfall pipe responsible for adding the most phosphorus to the pond, as it collects stormwater from the largest sub-watershed in the area. A gravel wetland, one proposed solution, would utilize natural processes from filtration and plant absorption to limit nutrients that flow into the pond.

Collaborators

Timeline

  • Phase 0 - Data Collection

    Our partners at Salve Regina University have been collecting water and soil quality samples from Almy Pond for several years. Their data speak to the condition of the pond, and changes to the water quality over time. Additionally, the data show contamination levels, providing insights as to potential management needs.

  • Phase 1 - Planning

    We are currently in the planning stage of this project. Planning will involve consulting with PARE Corporation, an engineering firm who has previous experience with the Pond, to best understand the site, its ecosystem, and potential approaches to solutions. This phase will also incorporate community engagement–learning more about community members’ needs for the site, and how those might be compatible with restoration goals.

    Planning takes place before any project implementation. No changes to the site, besides vegetation clearing for site assessment, will be made until Phase 1 has been completed. We anticipate that this phase will conclude by the end of 2025.

  • Future Phase - Implementation

    We anticipate the implementation of this project will begin in 2026, subject to funding availability. Our hope is that the selected solution will have support of the community and key project partners.

Why Almy Pond?

Almy Pond is considered one of the most polluted bodies of freshwater in the state. As an important site for aesthetic beauty, historical recreational activity, and ecosystem services, it is important to manage the freshwater body appropriately. Mitigating contaminants through green infrastructure presents a potential solution that will serve neighbors and community members, the City of Newport, and the environment. Learnings can be applied to other impaired (polluted) freshwater bodies on Aquidneck Island and across the state.

History of Almy Pond

With almost 50 acres of surface area, and another 200 plus acres of watershed, Almy Pond is an important natural resource and historical site to the city of Newport. Its position in a low-lying area, coupled with wetland habitat make it a critical site for conservation, restoration, and resilience efforts. The pond, its habitat, and land use in the watershed area have changed over time. 

Almy Pond, formerly known as Long Pond, is located next to Lily Pond, bordered by Bailey’s Beach to the south, and one street away from the Bellevue Mansions to the east. With these neighbors, Almy Pond finds itself amidst many other notable Newport sites. 

Early Depictions of Almy Pond

Almy Pond has long inspired enjoyment of its aesthetics and natural beauty. In the early to mid 1800’s, artists visited Almy Pond to illustrate this natural beauty in their works. John Frederick Kensett, an American landscape painter, painted these famous scenes of Almy Pond around 1860. The scenes depict both Almy Pond and Spouting Rock. These scenes are said to be depicting unity with the natural world, a transcendental view of nature.

Almy's Pond, Newport

John Frederick Kensett

c. 1860

Available under public domain rights from LACMA.

Almy Pond, Newport

John Frederick Kensett

c. 1857

Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection.

Other History

Postcard. Courtesy of the Collection of the Newport Historical Society.

Map of Almy Pond and Print, Photographic. Images courtesy of the Collection of the Newport Historical Society.

Early landowners near the pond include Newport historical figures, such as John Hazard. John Alfred Hazard was a descendant of Newport’s founders.

You can read more about John Alfred Hazard in John Alfred Hazard’s Newport Legacy—Hazard’s Beach, Gooseberry Beach, and Gooseberry Island by Paul H. Harpin.

Almy Pond had varied uses in the past. It is likely that on the Coggeshall Avenue side of Almy Pond, small homes and carriage houses would have been constructed to serve the mansion families and their laborers. Other land around the pond would have been farmland–great pastures with little trees.

Almy Pond was privately owned prior to a land transfer to the City of Newport in the 1970’s. 

Almy Pond Today

Today, Almy Pond is considered one of the most contaminated freshwater sites in Rhode Island. Aging infrastructure and increasingly heavy rains have caused much of the pollution. E. Coli and toxic algal blooms have been found in the pond, making it unusable for recreation. As for the ecosystem’s health, high concentrations of other nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, have caused the pond to have low oxygen levels. These nutrients can come from treated lawns, dog waste, and fertilizers.

Researchers at Salve Regina University have conducted water and soil quality tests over the years, which has provided critical information about the health of the pond over time.

The Almy Pond Watershed Protectors are a group of collaborators seeking to clean up the pond. This group consists of the City of Newport, local residents organizations. Aquidneck Resilience is a member of the protectors, and is working to facilitate the current restoration efforts ongoing at Almy Pond.

Image via EcoRI

Almy Pond Habitat

Almy Pond is home to a range of species. Ospreys occasionally fly by, and Black-Crowned Night Herons, Canada Geese, Red-winged Black Birds, and Common Yellow Warblers can all be spotted. Water quality improvements have the potential to bring back increased wildlife and population numbers.

Image via Pixabay

Recreation in Almy Pond

Beyond its aesthetic and natural values, Almy Pond is also a former site of recreational activity–swimming, kayaking, and paddling. Located along the pond is the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England’s Rocky Farm summer camp, which dates back to 1940. Rocky Farm summer camp used to invite its campers into the waters for fun-filled activities on the lake. 

The pond also used to be a part of the ice harvest in Newport. There was an ice house which sat along the pondside, used by companies to harvest the ice.

Almy Pond is no longer home to recreation today. The Rocky Farm summer campers are unable to go in the water due to contamination and health concerns. Some trails on the campsite have even been closed off, to limit access to the water. 

Almy Pond is classified by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) as a Class A Freshwater Body, signifying that the body of water is intended to be recreationally used. 

What is a Class A Freshwater Water Body?

According to Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office Of Water Resources’ Water Quality Regulations, Class A “waters are designated for primary and secondary contact recreational activities and for fish and wildlife habitat. They shall be suitable for compatible industrial processes and cooling, hydropower, aquacultural uses, navigation, and irrigation and other agricultural uses. These waters shall have excellent aesthetic value.”

Meanwhile, the pond today cannot be used for drinking water, primary contact recreational activities, sensitive habitat for fish and wildlife, or industrial or agricultural activities as described by its classification (PARE, Almy Pond Public Workshop presentation). 

Past Projects

Previous efforts to clean up the pond have included the installation of biochar socks in 2012. The purpose of these installations was to catch some of the runoff and filter out contaminants. There was also recently a meadow restoration project led by the Aquidneck Island Land Trust at Spouting rock Drive, which implemented green stormwater infrastructure, also filtering the runoff. Improved drainage and the reintroduction of native plants have also been a part of these efforts.

Learn more about these projects

Biochar project with Salve Regina’s Dr. Jameson Chace and his students

RIDEM’s Almy Pond Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Management Plan

Pavement removal on neighboring Spouting Rock Drive

Abutter Letter from City of Newport’s Department of Utilities

Project Flyer from Almy Pond Watershed Protectors

Questions?

For City vegetation clearing efforts and Right of Way access questions, please contact the City of Newport’s Department of Utilities at 401-845-5600.

Please contact Glennie LeBaron for general questions or comments

Glennie LeBaron
glennie@aquidneckresilience.org
Community Engagement Manager
Aquidneck Resilience Team @ Aquidneck Island Land Trust
C: ‪(401) 314-3583

Almy Pond Newsletter

Sign up here to receive project updates and notifications of events. You will only receive email specific to the Almy Pond Watershed project.