Great Pond Law Law and Legal Definition
In the U.S., great pond is a pond or lake held by the state for public use. Natural water bodies having a size of 10 acres or more comes under the great pond law. The states hold the water bodies as a trust for the public at large. All states in the U.S. have great pond laws to preserve ponds and lakes. Special statutory regulations also apply to land adjacent to great ponds for the purposes of shore land protection and timber harvesting. The states own the beds of all great ponds, up to the elevation of natural mean high water. Great pond laws provide the guarantee that private uses of tidelands and waterways serve a proper public purpose.
