In the summer of 2019 Easthampton Board of Health sent pictures of the pond to the Massachusetts Board of Health and they beleived it was a visual indication of cyanobacteria. Per state guidelines, the pond was posted, not to be used. This was the first visual indication of cyanobacteria on the pond. In 2020 the Easthampton Board of Health had another visual indication and as an accpeted protocol with the BOH, the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee took samples and sent them to Northeast Laboratory for testing. They were positive.
To deter cyanobacteria a deployment of barley straw bags was started in 2022.
How does Barley straw work? As barley straw slowly decomposes under aerobic conditions it releases a steady flow of molecules that prevent the growth/ division of single cell photosynthetic organisms including many types of Cyanobacteria as well as some green algae. The main pathway identified is decomposition of lignin to hydrogen peroxide. Very low concentrations (about 2 ppm) are effective at suppressing Cyanobacteria growth and have no known effects on any higher organisms such as green plants or any animals.
See process below for Barley straw deployment, from stuffing bags to putting in pond, testing and removal.
Barley straw deployment has been done in 2022, 2023 and 4/20/2024, 4/19/2025 and have had no indications of cyanobacteria since.
To deter cyanobacteria a deployment of barley straw bags was started in 2022.
How does Barley straw work? As barley straw slowly decomposes under aerobic conditions it releases a steady flow of molecules that prevent the growth/ division of single cell photosynthetic organisms including many types of Cyanobacteria as well as some green algae. The main pathway identified is decomposition of lignin to hydrogen peroxide. Very low concentrations (about 2 ppm) are effective at suppressing Cyanobacteria growth and have no known effects on any higher organisms such as green plants or any animals.
See process below for Barley straw deployment, from stuffing bags to putting in pond, testing and removal.
Barley straw deployment has been done in 2022, 2023 and 4/20/2024, 4/19/2025 and have had no indications of cyanobacteria since.
4/19/2025 - We did it again, 4th time! 150 onion bags have been stuffed with 10 bales of barley straw and deployed in Nashawannuck Pond. Allison Ryan again took the lead on organizing, 25 volunteers from Nashawannuck Pond Committee, residents of Easthampton, Lathrop community residents and Connecticut River Conservancy volunteers.
THEN after getting 150 bags stuffed it was onto the POND! Committee members and family, Friends of Nash Pond, & family, 6 of us deployed the bags in a Dory, canoes and kayaks. It was a great day to be on the pond.
We are gratful for the continued support of Connecticut River Conservancy Melissa Langley, Jodie Berezin, & Ryan ODonnell for testing that started 5/13/25 and will continue every 2 weeks thru to October. See year end summary below
See map for location of 25 stakes with 6 bags each.
THEN after getting 150 bags stuffed it was onto the POND! Committee members and family, Friends of Nash Pond, & family, 6 of us deployed the bags in a Dory, canoes and kayaks. It was a great day to be on the pond.
We are gratful for the continued support of Connecticut River Conservancy Melissa Langley, Jodie Berezin, & Ryan ODonnell for testing that started 5/13/25 and will continue every 2 weeks thru to October. See year end summary below
See map for location of 25 stakes with 6 bags each.
How Does our “Garden” Grow?? Weeds & Algae in Nashawannuck Pond - 2025.
Nashawannuck Pond receives a lot of nutrients (aka “fertilizer”) over the course of a year. Great for a backyard gardens or lawns, perhaps, but problematic in a pond where you value clear water for recreationand aesthetics. Things want to grow in response to all those nutrients; so we can see excessive aquatic weeds and microalgae bloom conditions if we leave this unattended. Cyanobacteria blooms can even be potentially dangerous. While the Nashwannuck Pond Steering Committee (NPSC) is always supportive of watershed initiatives to curb nutrient introduction to our pond, we also support in pond activities to limit this nuisance level of plant growth so that the community can continue to enjoy this resource. We need both!
In 2025, we targeted the invasive water chestnut, nuisance aquatic weeds, and cyanobacteria blooms, and pleased to have seen only the minimal presence of all three plant growths.
We have been doing water chestnut hand removal by volunteers for about 10 years. This continued effort is needed because the plants produce prodigious numbers of seeds that emerge in successive seasons. This year, we only saw (and removed) a small number of plants. Recalling that White Brook cove used to be covered in these plants, we count this as a great success demonstrating the incredible value of continuous vigilance and the power of pond volunteers.
As in prior years, our pond consultant, Gary Golas, conducted an aquatic weed survey for other aquatic plants and identified the need for targeting early and localized algae and invasive /nuisance plant treatment . As a result, we avoided severe algae blooms in 2025 and very little invasive milfoil was observed by the end of the year. As a result, we avoided severe algae blooms in 2025 and very little milfoil was observed by the end of the year.
Our efforts in controlling cyanobacteria were also rewarded, with zero cyanobacteria blooms in 2025 avoiding any potential shut down for recreational use of the pond. As a preventative measure, in April with the help of several volunteers, we deployed barley straw in bags distributed in 25 sites around the perimeter of the pond. The remaining bags and floatation bottles were removed in the fall. We have done this now for 4 successive years. The barley straw releases a natural cyanobacteria inhibitor as it slowly decays. While we can’t prove that this is why we have had no cyanobacterial blooms, the results are encouraging that an “all natural”, volunteer driven, action helps to maintain our water resource for the benefit of the community. In addition, the Connecticut River Conservancy partners with us to monitor the cyanobacteria and phytoplankton pigments in the pond water during the growing season as a “screening test” to see if cyanobacteria might be approaching a level of concern. We had one such occurrence in 2025, but further testing showed it to be a “false positive” with no indication of high levels of cyanobacteria or potential toxins. Rubber Thread Pond, adjacent to the City Hall, feeds directly into the lower end of Nashawannuck Pond. Based on a photo of the pond showing the accumulation of a green scum on the pond, the MA Div. of Cons Services (DCS) indicated that this might be a cyanobacterial bloom and the Board of Health closed down this pond as a precaution. However, this appears to merely have been an unsightly accumulation of harmless surface aquatic weeds based upon the lack of positive CRC screening results. DCS, later in the year, suggested that in the future, any photos submitted should be close up shots of the “scum” so that the cause of the green surface accumulation is more easily identifiable and we don’t get a “false positive” for potential cyanobacteria bloom conditions. THe BOH used the CRC reports for Rubber Thread Pond to convince DCS to come out and test and results were within limits, precausion signs were removed. Thank you Easthampton BOH.
Our heartfelt thanks to you, our community for Nashawannuck Pond. We value your input and support!
How does barley straw work to deter cyanobacteria?
For more information visit:
https://www.nashawannuckpond.org/barley-strawcyanobacteria.html
Nashawannuck Pond receives a lot of nutrients (aka “fertilizer”) over the course of a year. Great for a backyard gardens or lawns, perhaps, but problematic in a pond where you value clear water for recreationand aesthetics. Things want to grow in response to all those nutrients; so we can see excessive aquatic weeds and microalgae bloom conditions if we leave this unattended. Cyanobacteria blooms can even be potentially dangerous. While the Nashwannuck Pond Steering Committee (NPSC) is always supportive of watershed initiatives to curb nutrient introduction to our pond, we also support in pond activities to limit this nuisance level of plant growth so that the community can continue to enjoy this resource. We need both!
In 2025, we targeted the invasive water chestnut, nuisance aquatic weeds, and cyanobacteria blooms, and pleased to have seen only the minimal presence of all three plant growths.
We have been doing water chestnut hand removal by volunteers for about 10 years. This continued effort is needed because the plants produce prodigious numbers of seeds that emerge in successive seasons. This year, we only saw (and removed) a small number of plants. Recalling that White Brook cove used to be covered in these plants, we count this as a great success demonstrating the incredible value of continuous vigilance and the power of pond volunteers.
As in prior years, our pond consultant, Gary Golas, conducted an aquatic weed survey for other aquatic plants and identified the need for targeting early and localized algae and invasive /nuisance plant treatment . As a result, we avoided severe algae blooms in 2025 and very little invasive milfoil was observed by the end of the year. As a result, we avoided severe algae blooms in 2025 and very little milfoil was observed by the end of the year.
Our efforts in controlling cyanobacteria were also rewarded, with zero cyanobacteria blooms in 2025 avoiding any potential shut down for recreational use of the pond. As a preventative measure, in April with the help of several volunteers, we deployed barley straw in bags distributed in 25 sites around the perimeter of the pond. The remaining bags and floatation bottles were removed in the fall. We have done this now for 4 successive years. The barley straw releases a natural cyanobacteria inhibitor as it slowly decays. While we can’t prove that this is why we have had no cyanobacterial blooms, the results are encouraging that an “all natural”, volunteer driven, action helps to maintain our water resource for the benefit of the community. In addition, the Connecticut River Conservancy partners with us to monitor the cyanobacteria and phytoplankton pigments in the pond water during the growing season as a “screening test” to see if cyanobacteria might be approaching a level of concern. We had one such occurrence in 2025, but further testing showed it to be a “false positive” with no indication of high levels of cyanobacteria or potential toxins. Rubber Thread Pond, adjacent to the City Hall, feeds directly into the lower end of Nashawannuck Pond. Based on a photo of the pond showing the accumulation of a green scum on the pond, the MA Div. of Cons Services (DCS) indicated that this might be a cyanobacterial bloom and the Board of Health closed down this pond as a precaution. However, this appears to merely have been an unsightly accumulation of harmless surface aquatic weeds based upon the lack of positive CRC screening results. DCS, later in the year, suggested that in the future, any photos submitted should be close up shots of the “scum” so that the cause of the green surface accumulation is more easily identifiable and we don’t get a “false positive” for potential cyanobacteria bloom conditions. THe BOH used the CRC reports for Rubber Thread Pond to convince DCS to come out and test and results were within limits, precausion signs were removed. Thank you Easthampton BOH.
Our heartfelt thanks to you, our community for Nashawannuck Pond. We value your input and support!
How does barley straw work to deter cyanobacteria?
For more information visit:
https://www.nashawannuckpond.org/barley-strawcyanobacteria.html
Connecticut River Conservancy - Click here - Cyanobacteria monitoring report includes Nashawannuck Pond
December 11, 2023 Aliki Fornier
December 11, 2023 Aliki Fornier
Easthampton, MA - Spectrum News 1 - click here - Connecticut River Conservancy taking a new approach to monitoring the spread of Cyanobacteria
July 28, 2023 Richard Damas
July 28, 2023 Richard Damas
Blue-Green Planet: It’s a cyanobacterial world, and we just live on it. - Science in the News
September 26, 2019 by Olivia Foster Rhoades
September 26, 2019 by Olivia Foster Rhoades
Pond and Lake Management Part VI: Using Barley Straw to /control Algae (Rutgers NJAES)
December 2011 Rutgers fact sheet
December 2011 Rutgers fact sheet
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City of Easthampton Board of Health & Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee Cyanobacteria testing protocol
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Thank you Connecticut River Conservancy Stephanie Perkins and Melissa Langley for your continued support. Cyanobacteria tests were done every 2 weeks from 6/10/24 - 10/22/2024 and have shown no cyanobacteria blooms in Nashawannuck pond and only one in Rubber Thread Pond.
With a team of volunteers the bags were removed 10/23/24. 
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