Pond Sense

Sengekontacket Pond is in trouble again, only this time around it appears to be less about water quality and more about a state bureaucracy whose chief virtue is an uncanny ability to tie itself up in knots.

Mike Hickey, the well-known biologist for the Division of Marine Fisheries, which has the last word on management of the pond, said last week the reason the pond was suddenly closed again for the summer stemmed from the fact that not enough tests had been performed. Here is the twisted backdrop: Three years ago Senegekontacket was closed to shellfishing after coliform bacteria levels in the pond were found to be high. The closure lasted from June through September and would remain in effect for at least two more summers, pending test results. The state tells the towns how many tests to do, and shellfish constables in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs did what was required of them. For two years the tests turned up clean, and what appeared to be reasonable analysis tracked the bacteria of three years ago to waterfowl droppings coupled with unusually heavy rainfall. As a result, in March of this year, Mr. Hickey told the two towns that the mandatory closure would be lifted this summer. All rejoiced. Town residents bought family permits, expecting they would be able to rake for quahaugs again this summer. Management programs that include seeding and transplanting kicked into gear.

Then two weeks ago, in a sudden about-face, Mr. Hickey said it was discovered that not enough tests had been done. Apparently twelve tests were performed, and the state would like thirteen. But no one told the constables this.

And now, with no warning, Sengekontacket Pond is closed to shellfishing for a fourth straight summer.

Adding to the confusion is the reasoning behind the testing issue: In his letter to the towns late last month Mr. Hickey said the state thought not enough testing had been done in the pond during dry periods.

But all the problems in the pond have been tracked to wet periods, when runoff from the shore and surrounding roads washed into the pond, causing what was believed to be a temporary spike in bacteria levels.

In the end none of it makes much sense, and Islanders of course must abide by the closure for yet another summer. But it’s hard to believe this time around that it has anything to do with pollution.

Unless that’s another word for a tangle of red tape.