The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance Begins Work on Watershed Restoration Project

April 25, 2011 - Belgrade - The Maine DEP recently awarded a grant to BRCA to continue to implement the recommendations of the Long Pond Watershed Management Plan that was approved at the end of 2009.

Funded under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, this grant provides cost share resources to reduce phosphorus loading to Long Pond and Great Pond. A major source of phosphorus loading is poorly maintained gravel roads. The grant provides resources to help road associations to implement best management practices (BMPs) such as new culverts, ditches, or road surfaces that will improve the drainage characteristics of their roads.

The BRCA and the Kennebec County Soil Water Conservation District (KCSWCD) are teaming to provide the technical expertise to specify and oversee the work. One of the innovative tasks in the grant is to provide road associations with a professionally prepared road management plan for their road. For a nominal fee ($125), road associations will receive a plan for their road that provides annual maintenance recommendations and develops a capital improvement plan for upgrading the road including cost estimates, technical specifications, budgeting, priorities, etc. The goal is to enable road associations to better use their (always) scarce maintenance dollars to make their roads more lake friendly.


Another part of the grant is to work with the Belgrade Lakes Association (BLA) to identify homeowners who want to become LakeSmart but need some technical assistance to get there. DEP-trained volunteers will work with BRCA, the Conservation Corps, and KCSWCD to identify projects, develop plans and help implement improvements that will help home- owners make their properties more lake friendly and achieve “LakeSmart” status.


If you are in the Great Pond or Long Pond watershed and interested in learning more about this grant, especially if your road looks more like the one on the lower left (before) than the one on the upper right (after), please call Pete Kallin at 495-6039.


Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, Spring Edition, 2011


Lakes: Long Pond
Regions: Belgrade


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News