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Highland Lake Monitor Honored

August 15, 2011 - Windham - Ralph Johnston, the 90-year-old water quality watchdog for Highland Lake in Windham, was a lake monitor long before anyone called them "lake monitors."

And, recently, the World War II vet was recognized for his four decades of dedication.

The Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program honored Johnston at its annual conference, held July 30, with two awards: a Years of Service Award for his 35-plus years of program membership and a Longevity Award for being the oldest lake monitor in Maine.

Johnston, who lives on Highland Lake, got interested in water quality after witnessing the decline of the lake. About a decade ago, he said, featured green masses of algae fed by severe sediment erosion. The lake was in bad health, and Johnston aimed to clean it up. While it took many years and much money in the form of federal Clean Water Act-backed grants, Highland Lake was in 2010 taken off the Department of Environmental Protection's endangered list of water bodies.

Friend and fellow water quality tester Keith Williams said Johnston helped to draw attention to the lake, and was key in getting the lake some deserved attention in the form of grant money to help with erosion from farms and homes. That effort, which took place over the course of several projects last decade, included major overhauls of lakeside roads and pastures and added buffers that helped to limit storm water from reaching the lake.

Williams, who has tested the lake at least every other week (even during the winter) for the last 20 years alongside Johnston, said Johnston deserves the recent recognition.

"He was instrumental in bringing this lake back," Williams said. "Home values, swimming and fishing all benefit from good water quality. So, this is very important work, and I just hope I can do it like he can when I'm 90 years old."

Williams and Johnston conduct many tests as water quality testers. They measure pH levels for alkalinity and acid rain. They survey the 100 species of plants around the lake. They take water clarity readings using the Secchi disc, a round disc with alternating black and white quarters that is suspended from the end of a measuring tape. Testers note the depth at which the disc fades from view. "It's a rough indicator of water quality and lake health," Williams said.

The two also test for water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and phosphorus levels, which Williams describes as "fertilizer" for algae. The more phosphorus, which comes from soil erosion, the more likely algae blooms will form in the lake.

And, as if the testing itself wasn't enough to keep them busy, they transport their samples on a monthly basis to a lab at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Johnston, at 90, is described by Williams as a "real trooper," never complains about his duties, not even when the weather was so cold that "the chemicals froze in the test tubes," Williams remembers. "He's a good, steady partner."

Also amazed at Johnston's longevity is Betty Williams, senior project manager from 2001-2009 at Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District, an organization based in South Windham that conducted the remediation projects on Highland Lake aimed at halting erosion.

Betty Williams, no relation to Keith Williams, said of Johnston, "He's been an amazing volunteer for I don't even know how many years," she said, noting in particular Johnston's pursuit of grants to fund the work at the lake. "He's been extremely supportive in moving projects along. He's just a proponent of excellent water quality."

Tamara Pinard, storm water program manager at the conservation district, said Johnston's water quality testing data collection since the 1970s was important in convincing the DEP to list the lake as endangered in 2000 and qualify the lake for funding.

"His early monitoring showed trend data, which was very important," Pinard said.

So, what does Johnston, who lives at 99 Cottage Road, think of all the recent recognition? He is mostly proud when he looks out on the much-improved lake knowing he had a role in its comeback.

"I am so pleased," Johnston said. "The lake was on the sensitive list and now it's off. But a lot of people have worked very hard to protect this lake, not just me."

John Balentine, Keep Maine Current, August 2011


Lakes: Highland Lake
Regions: Sebago


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