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Accord Called Key to Long Pond In Belgrade

December 12, 2007 - BELGRADE -- Communities surrounding Long Pond must coordinate efforts if residents wish to preserve water quality in Long Pond and the rest of the Belgrade Lakes, according to a study released by Colby College.

Increased algae growth over the past 30 years has reduced visibility in the waters of Long Pond by 1 meter, the study said. This leaves visibility at around 6 meters, according to the study, which was conducted by Colby seniors, all of whom are studying environmental science.

"Although the water quality is still good for lakes in the area, it's deteriorating," Colby professor F. Russell Cole said.

To counter this trend, residents must make sure that future development must be done in accordance with shoreland zoning laws, one senior, Eva Gougian, said.

"We predict that there's going to be a pretty big population increase (in the Belgrade Lakes region), so it's important that development is done right," she said.

The Belgrade Lakes watershed includes approximately 180 square miles of land and portions of 13 different municipalities in three counties. The portion considered in the latest study from Colby included the south basin of Long Pond and the towns of Belgrade, Mount Vernon and Rome.

The study cited Maine State Planning Office estimates of a 65 percent increase in population around Long Pond's southern basin between 2000 and 2030.

Recommendations include:
- Maintain buffer strips along the shoreline. The students found that 62 percent of shoreline houses in the area have good or acceptable buffers. Homeowners can improve buffers on the other sites by replanting native shrubs and avoiding fertilizer use.

- Camp roads should be maintained by grading, clearing debris and filling rutted areas.

- Respective communities should set a goal of upgrading outdated septic systems that were grandfathered into the Shoreline Zoning Act in the early '70s.

- Muncipalities should take water quality into account when deciding on land use regulations.

Water quality affects property values and tourism in the area, and thus the economy of the entire watershed. Teamwork will be the key to halting the slow trend toward water degradation, said Kerry Whittaker, another senior who worked on the study.

"One of the most important things we found was that ... all of the lake associations need to work together," Whittaker said


SOURCE: Kennebec Journal

DATE: 12-11-2007


Lakes: Long Pond
Regions: Belgrade


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