Cards Pond

Cards Pond, or Card Pond, is a coastal lagoon in South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.[1]

Cards Pond
Cards Pond
LocationSouth Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island
GroupSalt Ponds of Rhode Island
Coordinates41°22′25″N 71°34′03″W
Typesaline
Primary inflowsprecipitation, groundwater
Primary outflowsto sea, breaches 8-10 times a year
Catchment area1,979.76 acres (8.0118 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area40.95 acres (16.57 ha)
Average depth1.3 ft (0.40 m)

Coastal lagoon

It is one of nine coastal lagoons (often referred to as "salt ponds") in southern Rhode Island.[2][3] According to the Rhode Island Sea Grant program, "[i]ts breachway is only intermittently open to the sea", and it receives large quantities of freshwater from Moonstone Stream; only two other salt ponds, Point Judith and Greenhill, have significant streams flowing into them. It is partially within the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge,[1] which is inhabited by over 360 species of animals.[4]

Watershed

Cards Pond's watershed covers 1,979.76 acres (801.18 ha), of which 59.06 acres (23.90 ha) is occupied by water; the pond itself has a surface area of 40.95 acres (16.57 ha), while other, smaller bodies of water account for the other 18.11 acres (7.33 ha). The pond averages 1.3 ft (0.40 m) deep, and has a salinity level of approximately 4 parts per thousand, too low to sustain the growth of eelgrass.[2][5] It has been classified as "non-tidal except when breached by storms".[5] The water directly receives about 51,196,553 gallons of precipitation per year, and at least 1,592,165 gallons of daily groundwater flow.[6] Cards Pond, like others in the region, was "formed after the recession of the glaciers 12,000 years ago".[7] Nests of piping plovers, which are federally designated as a threatened species, have been documented within the watershed.[3]

Flooding

The land surrounding Cards Pond is low-lying, and particularly vulnerable to severe flooding. However, compared to other ponds in the region, damage from future storms is projected to be minimal.[3] It typically breaches around 9 times each year, spilling into the Block Island Sound. When the pond threatens to flood a nearby road or surrounding houses, a breach is intentionally created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Salt Ponds of Rhode Island" (PDF). Rhode Island Sea Grant. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  2. S.W. Nixon and B. A. Buckley (2007). "Nitrogen Inputs to Rhode Island Coastal Salt – Too Much of a Good Thing" (PDF). Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  3. "Rhode Island's Salt Pond Region: A Special Area Management Plan" (PDF). Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  4. "Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  5. "Cards Pond General Features Data". Rhode Island South Shore Sea Grant. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  6. "Cards Pond Freshwater Input Data". Rhode Island South Shore Sea Grant. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  7. "What is a Salt Pond?". Salt Ponds Coalition. Archived from the original on 2010-10-09. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  8. Donita Naylor (March 11, 2008). "Cards Pond spills seaward". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
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