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Moose Pond Erosion Survey

April 15, 2010 - BRIDGTON -- Residents concerned about Moose Pond's water quality are taking matters and notebooks into their own hands to help preserve the pond's clear waters and cold-water fish.


A large group of volunteers and several organizations are teaming up on Saturday, May 8 to cover over 17 square miles of Moose Pond's watershed, which is within the towns of Sweden, Bridgton and Denmark. The group plans to identify and document sources of erosion that could be impacting the pond.


The survey relies heavily on landowner cooperation and is completely non-regulatory, meaning that surveyors will not be reporting on any findings that do not comply with local or state regulations. The team is simply looking for erosion that is going into the pond, tributary streams or wetlands. All landowners within the watershed will receive a postcard with a brief explanation of the project and how to exclude their property from the survey.


The compiled survey will be the most thorough assessment of the watershed to date ad will give landowners a stepping stone to better evaluate, understand and fix problems on their own property. If the survey is successful, a larger grant will be applied for to correct some of the problems that are found.


Although Moose Pond is still relatively pristine, water clarity has declined over the last decade. Low dissolved oxygen levels in the bottom waters are also a major concern. For fish like salmon and trout to survive and reproduce, they need ample oxygen in the deeper, cold waters of the pond during the summer. It is not uncommon to sample the pond in August and September and find no suitable habitat for these types of fish. This is because the oxygen is getting used up earlier in the season by bacteria as they consume dead algae and other aquatic organisms.


Erosion within the watershed is allowing soils and sediment with attached nutrients to wash into the pond directly or through tributaries. Because algae populations are controlled by the nutrient phosphorus, which is abundant in Maine soils, erosion is often the reason for excess algae growth. In summation, erosion allows more algae to grow which lowers water clarity and when the algae die, their decomposition uses up oxygen within the water. This is why finding, fixing and preventing erosion around the lake is so important.


Although the watershed is very large, participants will not have to survey undeveloped areas as most erosion is associated with roads, driveways or current construction. There is a lot of ground to cover and more volunteers are very much needed. Training will be held the morning of May 8 at the Knight’s Hill Association Meeting Hall followed by an afternoon of surveying.


The project is a join effort by the Moose Pond Association, the Lakes Environmental Association, the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. It is funded in large part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.


If you are interested in participating or would like more information about the survey please contact Heather True of Cumberland County Soil and Water at 892-4700 or the Lakes Environmental Association at 647-8580.


By Colin Holmes, April 15, 2010, Bridgton News

Lakes: Moose Pond
Regions: Sebago


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