Bournes Pond
Bournes Pond
A designated Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Area covering parts of Falmouth, Mashpee.
The same area on the map also covers Green Pond, Great Pond. MassDEP's application table lists those separately from this one; the map does not divide them. For a property here, that distinction does not change the answer — each town's filing is the same across the whole area.
What each town filed
| Town | Filing | Transmittal |
|---|---|---|
| Falmouth | Notice of Intent | 23-WP94-0014-APP |
| Mashpee | De Minimis application | 24-WP98-0002-APP |
What the filings mean
Notice of Intent
The town has filed a Notice of Intent: a commitment to apply for a Watershed Permit later, on a schedule approved by MassDEP. It pauses the clock. It does not stop it.
De Minimis application
The town has applied for a De Minimis Load Exemption — a separate legal route arguing the nitrogen load from this area is too small to warrant the upgrade requirement.
Because these are applications rather than granted permits, the suspension is conditional. A town that misses the milestones in its approved schedule can have the five-year upgrade clock started by MassDEP — running to 8 July 2030.
MassDEP's reports for this area
The studies behind this area, published by MassDEP. They cover the whole Great, Green, and Bournes Pond Embayment Systems area rather than Bournes Pond on its own.
- Great Perch Pond, Green Pond, & Bournes Pond, Falmouth MA - 2005 (2005) — Massachusetts Estuaries Project report
- Great, Green and Bournes Pond Embayment Systems TMDLs For Total Nitrogen (2007) — Total Maximum Daily Load report CN 181.0
Selling a property here
On the MassDEP nitrogen disclosure form, a seller in Bournes Pond would normally tick box 2 — located in a Nitrogen Sensitive Area, but not subject to the upgrade requirement because a filing covers the watershed — and name the filing for their town above.
Separately, a passing Title 5 inspection is required before transfer, as it is everywhere in Massachusetts. How the disclosure works →
Filings: MassDEP watershed application table, 11 June 2026. Map name transcribed from MassDEP's NSA Address Lookup Map, 10 August 2026. Reports: MassDEP Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Areas feature layer, retrieved 26 August 2026.
Get a Title 5 inspection quote
Tell us the property and what you need. We pass the request to licensed Title 5 system inspectors covering that town. Free, and there is nothing to sign here.