West Monponsett Pond Boat Ramp - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

556-470 MA-58, Halifax, MA 02338, USA

Owned By: Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Directions

The West Monponsett Pond Boat Ramp, located on Route 58 in Halifax, features a boat ramp, a pier, and a paved parking area. There is an additional roadside pull-off (for 10 vehicles) nearby, to the south. The property offers water access to West Monponsett Pond for canoes and kayaks, as well as boats. Swimming is not permitted. Fishing is prohibited within 50 feet of the ramp, float and pier.

Please do not feed the waterfowl.

Features

Originally one lake, West and East Monponsett Ponds are sometimes known as the Twin Lakes or Monponsett Lake. The western portion is 282 acres and the eastern portion is 246 acres, both with an average depth of 7 feet (13 feet maximum). The are connected by a culvert. During water shortages, water from West Monponsett Pond is occasionally diverted into Silver Lake, which provides water to the City of Brockton.

This land is within the region of the Wampanoag. In the 1600s, White Island, which extends between the two ponds, was a fishing camp for Wamsutta, the eldest son of Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe. Wamsutta was the brother of Chief Metacomet (aka King Philip). A marker on site pays tribute to him. To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mashpee Wampanoag and the Herring Pond Wampanoag share information on their websites.

Habitats and Wildlife

West Monponsett Pond is part of the Satucket River watershed. Stump Brook is its only natural outlet. It flows southwest to Robbins Pond in Halifax, the source of the Satucket River. The Satucket is a significant headwater tributary to the Taunton River.

There are some pine and oak trees on site, but the property is mostly water and pavement. Some of the fish observed in the pond include: alewife, American eel, bluegill, brown bullhead, calico bass (black crappie), chain pickerel, golden shiner, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, white perch, and yellow perch.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DF&W) Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) has designated West Monponsett Pond an area of priority habitat. Three state-listed species of special concern have been confirmed in the pond: tidewater mucket, eastern pondmussel, and umber shadowdragon.