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Special Interests Unwittingly Affect Sebago Lake

March 13, 2011 - Sebago- Hello, my name is Sebago Lake, and I have asked my good friends, Steve Kasprzak and Roger Wheeler of Friends of Sebago Lake, to help me explain how the historic rhythm, rise and fall, of my water levels enabled me to naturally prevent the introduction and spread of variable leaf milfoil in the lower Songo River.

It is not a coincidence that milfoil began to thrive shortly after the marina community successfully lobbied S.D. Warren in 1987 for higher than normal lake levels and changed my historic rhythm for their special interest with complete disregard of its impact on my environmental well being. They now have a lake level management plan that mandates Warren to try and make me reach full pond by May1, despite the fact that I only reached full pond historically a third of the time.

Prior to 1987 and during periods of below normal precipitation, my May and June water level would be two to three feet below full pond. At these naturally low water levels, the lower Songo River could effectively scour and remove several inches of accumulated silt from its riverbed during a high spring runoff or periods of above-normal precipitation.

The finer sediments in the silt provide an ideal habitat for milfoil to take root in, but historically they were removed naturally along with any milfoil. This natural scouring left behind a coarser substrate in the riverbed. It is much more difficult for milfoil to take root and grow in a coarser and dynamic substrate of shifting sands and pebbles.

In May and June during a heavy spring run-off or above normal precipitation, the Lower Songo River is now prevented from effectively scouring its riverbed because of the deeper waters, which are mandated by the lake plan.

Until 25 years ago, I was also able to kill milfoil naturally when my water levels, as well as the water levels in the Lower Songo River would drop five to six feet below full pond once every four years on average by late October or early November. This allowed any milfoil plants to be killed naturally by Mother, you know Mother Nature, through the impact of a hard frost.

For decades, Massachusetts has used lake level lowering as a multi-purpose lake management tool for aquatic plant control.

I suspect that the marina community probably does not want my many users to know that it was the marina community who also lobbied for these higher-than-normal fall water levels through Nov. 1. These higher water levels on Nov. 1 continue throughout November and well into December, because November is Mother Nature’s wettest month.

Low water levels by the second half of December are usually to late to allow a heavy frost to kill the milfoil plants, because by then Mother Nature has typically covered and insulated the plants with a blanket of snow.

The lake level plan has promoted a silty riverbed for milfoil to take root in, eliminated an opportunity for heavy frosts in the fall to kill milfoil naturally and increased the amount of phosphorous flowing out of its wetlands.

Higher-than-normal water levels have flooded the wetlands associated with the Lower Songo River depriving the soils of needed oxygen to effectively intercept and trap phosphorous in the run-off from the adjacent watershed. This increased phosphorous has fertilized and promoted the growth of milfoil!

The marina folks keep insisting that my water levels be managed for their benefit at the expense of my water quality. I have lost 14 feet of transparency during August in Big Bay in just the past 21 years because the concentration of algae in my waters has increased by more than 50 percent.

This past fall the Lake Environmental Association asked state officials to close Songo Locks in order to stop the spread of variable leaf milfoil upstream from the Lock.

The marina community drowned out this request (no pun intended) and in February defeated a Legislative bill, which would have closed the Lock until the milfoil had been eradicated from the Lower Songo.

From my watery perspective, keeping the Lock open makes a mockery out of the policy of inspecting boats for milfoil before they can be launched into my waters. I wouldn’t want the marina community to lose money, but the lock should have been closed 20-plus years ago when variable leaf milfoil first appeared in the Lower Songo River. Instead I now have 28 confirmed milfoil sites along my shoreline.

It is not too late to restore the historical rhythm in my water levels so I can naturally help rid the Lower Songo River and the 28 sites on my shoreline of milfoil!

Steve Kasprzak and Roger Wheeler, Keep Maine Current, March 2011






Lakes: Sebago Lake
Regions: Sebago


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