**This is for residents currently living in Franklin**

Most Franklin residents are unaware of this tragic environmental issue happening in their neighboring town and we are asking for your help.

Kingsbury Pond, a once 27 acre great pond in Norfolk, MA, has slowly turned into something much different. 

Families that once had water front property, now have overgrown grass and dried up mud.The fishing and swimming that so many children enjoyed, is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The crickets and frogs no longer sing at night.

The devastation started back in the early 60's when Norfolk gave Franklin a piece of land off of Miller St and the rights to drill Franklin Well # 4, which is only a couple thousand yards from Kingsbury Pond.

What started as a sign of goodwill to a friendly neighbor, turned into something nobody ever expected.

To quote The Upper Charles River Dilemma - A Growing Basin 1998 by Bruce Bouck of the MA DEP,

"Kingsbury Pond is a groundwater fed glacial kettle hole pond with no surface water inlets or outlets. Prior to the activation of Franklin's Well No.4 in July of 1964, the size of Kingsbury Pond was 27 acres. Within two years of activation of Well No. 4, Kingsbury Pond had shrunk to approximately 9 acres. It is assumed that the well does not directly draw water from the pond, but captures water that would naturally recharge the pond. The pond has fluctuated over the years, but has never regained pre-1964 water levels" 

Local residents have been demanding answers for years and have continued to get the same response: a lack of rainfall is the reason the pond has shrunk by almost 20 acres in size.

Does this sound right to you?

Two years after the well was activated, the pond shrinks from 26 to 9 acres, and the reason is a drought?

Here we are some 50 years later and the pond is the worst it has ever been. A once majestic great pond is disappearing before our eyes.

We understand that Franklin needs water and we're open to finding solutions, but draining a pond should never be an option.

The environment is too important and we need to protect our natural resources.

Local residents have vowed to address this issue and refuse to give up. 

We are asking the residents of Franklin for your help.

If you currently live in Franklin and believe we need to find a better alternative, please sign this petition.

Be sure to show your email address so we can send you updates on any new developments.

Thank you for doing the right thing.