Are the local ponds around Easthampton safe to swim in?

It was a hot spring day last year at Williston when some local students went to escape the heat by cooling off in Easthampton’s very own Nashawannuck Pond. As they prepared to jump in, a local who rents out canoes and kayaks at the pond advised the students not to jump in. She warned them that the police had cleaned out the pond and had found hazardous items such as used needles at the pond bottom.

So what do Williston students or townspeople that wish to cool off in the pond do? Are they safe if they decide to jump in?

According to the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee website: “There is no designated swimming area. The pond is used for non-motorized boating, nature watching, and fishing. Kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats are available for rent at Valley Paddler.

No clear answer is provided, or more importantly, no warning to the risks that come with swimming in Nashawannuck Pond.

Along with used needles, non-point source pollution seems to contaminate the water of Nashawannuck pond. According to the Nashawannuck Pond Watershed Restoration Project, at oldcolonly.com: runoff from the roadways and lawns full of pesticides, toxins, oil, grease, along with excess fertilizer, greatly affect the pond, with even some faulty septic systems and pet waste polluting the pond.

Some brave Williston students have gotten in Nashawannuck pond and have lived to tell the tale. Senior George Goodhead retold the horrors of swimming in the pond.

“While swimming in the murky water I saw a big fish ripped in half floating next to me,” George said. “I quickly got out and was covered in dirt from the entry point into the pond.”

While George had a nasty time in the water, fellow senior Caleb Cost remembers a more pleasant swim in the pond.

“Yeah, the water was cool and I had a pretty good time, I didn’t get a rash or anything when I got out,” Caleb said.

One thing both George and Caleb mentioned were local warnings from townspeople. George recalled that locals hanging out on the boat launch advised him not to go into the water because it was dirty. This was before he got in and saw the floating fish carcass. Caleb remembers locals telling him to get out and wash off.

So, if locals are warning Williston students and other townspeople not to swim, then why are there no warning signs at the major entry points into the pond?

A call to the Easthampton Parks and Rec department was not returned to address the safety concern.

Do students think the pond is safe to swim in? Would they ever take the plunge.

“Maybe, depends how gross it is on the day and if I could wear a hazmat suit,” joked senior Emma Lehrer.

“No way, it is disgusting,” a repulsed junior, Claudia Capone, said.

“I don’t think so, there is definitely a flesh-eating parasite in there,” senior Xander Rodgers said.

Even teachers do not like the idea of swimming in the pond. English teacher Kyle Hanford said, “No freaking way would I swim in the pond or let my kids swim in the pond.”