The Opening of EGP to the Ocean Closed:

Under the direction of Shellfish Constable Paul Bagnall, the barrier beach along the south shore of Edgartown Great Pond was cut open to the Atlantic Ocean on Monday August 20th, 2018. After several hours of Pond drainage, observed by the Jones family, the tide shifted towards high tide.  At this point the draining stopped and the Atlantic Ocean began to trickle into the cut.  The video below is from Monday afternoon:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmtwrwhFVbO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

By Tuesday morning, August 21st, 2018, the cut had closed before it became tidal and had a chance to flush the estuary, refreshing it with cooler, saltier, cleaner, and more oxygenated seawater. Per Edgartown resident, Fergus Henderson, who visited the cut on Tuesday:

The conditions were right – north wind, not too much surf, pond high, moon mostly full.  Overnight Mother Nature used two high tides to create a four foot high dune at the ocean end of the cut.

Fergus captured the video below:

The Pond height needs to rise before another cut can be attempted.  Here is what Paul Bagnall explained yesterday:

Despite favorable wind and tidal amplitude the opening closed overnight. Pray for Rain! We’ll need a couple of more inches and the wind is coming around southeast so it was decided not to retry today.