Spectacle Pond is located just south of route 119 in Littleton, Massachusetts, with a portion of the pond and surrounding wetlands in the town of Ayer. The pond serves as a main part of the acquifer that provides drinking water to residents of Littleton and Ayer. Besides the town wells, the pond is also a recreational area for nearby residents and is often frequented by fisherman who use the public access ramp from route 119 to launch their boats.
Spectacle Pond was given its name because with two rounded portions adjoined by a narrrow stretch of water, the pond takes the shape of a pair of spectacles.
Spectacle Pond is fed from several brooks some of which are un-named. The primary inlet is Bennetts Brook, which feeds the pond from the South. The outlet of the pond is Gilson Brook in the North. Gilson Brook flows out of the pond via a culvert underneath route 119. Gilson Brook feeds Forge Pond and eventually these waters empty into the Merrimack River and then the Atlantic Ocean.
The pond surface area is approximately 70 acres. The Bennetts Brook watershed is more than 7 square miles.
Spectacle Pond Association was formed in 1998 to address the need for protection of the aquifer, the pond, and surrounding watershed. The organization has launched a number of initatives including an effort to curtail overdevelopment, and a study of the pond ecology. Meetings are held quarterly. The organization is registered as an incorporated nonprofit entity.