Nestled at the eastern edge of the Fresh Pond Reservoir (a 155-acre kettle pond) within the 162 acre Reservation, the Fresh Pond Drainage Improvements and Community Gardens Construction project addresses a long standing drainage and storm water management issue which was negatively impacting recreational experience, community gardens, and water quality. Untreated stormwater discharges to Fresh Pond Reservoir are eliminated and a former rail corridor is co-opted for re-use as a planted buffer between the Reservoir’s perimeter multi-use path and the Fresh Pond parkway.

Moving the existing recreational path further away from the edge provides space for a planted bioretention area which treats the water before reaching the pond. Nestled between upland berms of native plantings indigenous to Middlesex County, the multi-use path is buffered from the persistent traffic of Fresh Pond Parkway and is graded in such a way that ice and ponding of water will no longer be an issue for walkers, joggers and cyclists. Water run-off from this path will flow into the bioretention area. Community gardens, previously suffering from poor drainage, are relocated to provide universally accessible gardening opportunities and better proximity to the existing parking lot.