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Pending Legislation Threatens Lakes

May 02, 2011 - Augusta - Many bills pending before the Maine State Legislature pose grave threats to lake water quality. Protections that shield lakes from the harmful effects of runoff and nutrient loading could be eliminated this year unless many of us speak out on behalf of lake protection. Lakes are fragile, and they are voiceless; they need yours, now.


The worst of the pending bills, LD 219, would slash the area governed by Maine’s Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act by 60%, from 250 feet to 75 feet. If passed, LD 219 would permit structures and septics to be built 25 feet closer to lakes, abolish limits on clearing vegetation behind 75 feet, and effectively remove regulation for most roads and drive- ways. Bottom line: vastly increased impervious areas in the shorelands and therefore more and faster runoff and greater nutrient loading; much less forested cover so less filtering and absorption, 60% cutback of a lake’s last line of defense.

It’s true that a 75 foot buffer can filter most runoff on an ideally flat, forested lot with absorbent soils, but a sloped lot with poorly draining soils requires a much wider buffer (up to 300 feet) to achieve the same water quality protection. That’s why we have the law we do. The US EPA’s just-published, first- ever National Lakes Assessment found the absence of forested cover in shorelands to be the single most important cause of lake problems like algal blooms, excessive weed growth and reduced water clarity. EPA concluded that “local, state and national initiatives to protect the integrity of lakes should center on restoring the natural state of shoreline habitat.” Translated into action terms, this means, “Vote Ought Not to Pass on LD 219.”


If successful, LD 219, alone, will have far-reaching negative impacts on lakes, but there are other bills to be concerned about, too. LD 434 would exempt wet- lands caused by barriers (such as dams, and how many lakes have them?) from all Shoreland Zone protections: LD 888 would permit a second enlargement of an already once- expanded building in the no-build 100 foot setback area, and LD 159 would significantly change the rules for subdivisions in ways that will increase allowable impervious surfaces and raise the trigger point for runoff protections from roads and driveways.

We simply can’t let this happen. If you vote in Maine, you can influence the outcome of this debate. Please determine to do so.

Maggie Shannon, Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, Spring 2011


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