“This beautiful sheet of water, like a sapphire gem set round with emeralds…” Samuel Francis Smith, History of Newton, Massachusetts, 1880
Environment...
The Dam, the Pond & Laundry Brook Forest
The building of the Bullough's Pond Dam on what is called Laundry Brook created Bullough’s Pond, and Laundry Brook flows over the weir and meanders through the Laundry Brook Forest just downstream of the pond. The dam, pond and forest are inextricably linked. For more than 350 years, the Bullough's Pond Dam has never been breached nor overtopped. State-mandated work to rehabilitate the dam can be done using proven technologies that do not require clearcutting of the Laundry Brook Forest, nor the devastation of the pond's environment with the addition of tons of concrete riprap. Read more...
Plant Life at the Pond
The plant life at Bullough’s Pond is remarkably diverse and beautiful. From the iconic weeping willow tree at the northeast corner of the pond to the cattails and yellow flag irises that ring the water’s edge, scores of plant species have been recorded and many more have probably not been recorded. Read more...
The Birds of Bullough's Pond
As the seasons change, Bullough’s Pond changes, but the presence of bird life –in varying forms – remains a constant source of enjoyment around this important body of water at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street in Newton. Read more...
Other Wildlife
The vibrant birdlife around Bullough’s Pond may be one of the first things visitors to the pond notice, but many creatures great and small frequent this lovely place. Read more...
Silting, Flooding & Dredging
In colonial Newton in 1664, a man named John Spring built a dam on Smelt Brook to provide water power for his grist mill. A large pond, later known as Bullough’s Pond, formed behind the dam. Read more...
Storm Drains
Bullough’s Pond is fed by Hammond Brook and Cold Spring Brook, which flow through underground culverts, emerge above ground in the City Hall ponds, and dip underground again beneath Commonwealth Avenue before gushing into Bullough’s Pond at its southwest corner. Read more...
Lawns & Pollutants
Newton is known for its landscaping, a “garden city” of beautiful trees, flowers and well-tended lawns. However, fertilizer run-off from those lawns ends up in Newton’s streams and ponds, sometimes leading to eutrophication and algae blooms. Read more...
Animal Waste
Dog waste that enters our waterways can pose a danger to humans: not only E. coli (for which the city routinely tests) but also Campylobacter, Streptococcus, Salmonella, and worms can be found in dog waste and be transmitted to the water where people swim. Read more...
Science Lessons
Teachers and students at Newton North High School use Bullough’s Pond regularly as an outdoor science classroom and laboratory. Read more...
