Friends of Sebago Lake 2008 Summer Newsletter
Secret Deal is Dead- Friends of Sebago Lake has posted on the FOSL web site the entire Presumpscot River Secret Deal debacle from its clandestine creation to its full collapse. On May 9th, SAPPI pulled out of the deal when it was publicly announced for undisclosed reasons the mill would no longer honor the agreement. FOSL had already prepared a letter of intent to pursue a legal recourse if the deal moved forward. The Portland Press Herald carried the dead deal story and interviewed FOSL. Sometime in April, Maine Inland Fish and Wildlife posted a notice of a call for interveners in the Cumberland Mills dam fish passage hearings. At that time as far as we knew SAPPI was still agreeing to abide by the secret deal. We found out about it in June. In a letter we asked that IFW grant FOSL late intervener status. Roland Martin, Commissioner of Inland, Fish and Wildlife refused our request.
Permits Galore- FOSL research of DEP records revealed that about 100 shoreline stabilization permits have been issued since 2000. DEP was very helpful in retrieving all these files. This is a clear indicator that the State Lake Level Plan is very harmful to Sebago Lake. We are still waiting for Governor Baldacci to visit Sebago Lake for a photo op at Songo Beach and he can see first hand how the Plan is not working.
Lake level update - Last year, 2007, was a 2 in 9 year lowering of the lake level to the 25th percentile at 261 msl. SAPPI did not hit this mark until well into December. SAPPI soon brought the lake back up. Progradation of sands was evident, but on Long Point like other beaches the brief gain has been more than erased by the continuous constant high water since April. Without adequate storage and without any significant rain events during the spring melt SAPPI allowed the lake to exceed the top of the dam by 3 inches. On June 30, the lake was 266.30 msl. On Aug 1, the water level was almost 3.5 inches above the required August 1 target of 266.15 msl. Because SAPPI failed to keep to the 2 in 9 year agreement during the first nine years since 1997 they still have to lower the lake two more times in the next 8 years. At the height of summer August 1, the natural shorelines of Sebago Lake have no beach or very little beach.
Flood Potential- Portland Water District as usual is publicly silent about erosion and the loss of soils into the lake. We can not find any mention on their web site of shoreline erosion or current issues of concern for Sebago Lake. They did ask FERC for that flood model for Eel Weir Dam. They were ignored as usual. Both, the present and Final Relicensing Lake Level plan leave 40% less storage capacity in Sebago Lake. Flood potential is higher with exponentially higher damage possibilities. The Baldacci Administration and FERC are oblivious to this. They have all the authority but take no responsibility.
Water Quality Update - Long Point and Southwest Fryes Island are no longer noticeable sources of erosion and clay turbidity thanks to local camp owners who have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for rock armoring. According to Portland Water District’s water quality data, Sebago Lake clarity is reducing on average about 3 inches per year in the Big Bay. In Jordan Bay the decrease is about 4.5 inches per year. The significant causes of this clarity loss are shoreline erosion and degradation of lake wetland habitat because of unnatural constant high water in the growing season. The factors which insure Sebago Lake’s resiliency to incoming watershed nutrients and pollutants are now compromised. This June, many people have commented on the diminished clarity in the lake. The data supports their scary observations.
FOSL Web Site- Last year our website officially recorded by our host server over 40,000 visits. People are reading it. The website was out of commission for about a week this summer. The reason was too many people were accessing the site and performing too many downloads. FOSL has added more traffic capabilities to handle the interest.
Haydn Bog- Last year Doug Watts kayaked in Haydn bog. His photos of an algae meringue covering the bog were posted on the FOSL blog. This year with a group of 3 we followed the same course. The condition of the bog is now more disturbing. Near the outlet, thick grass had spread across the narrow waterway making kayaking an effort. Further away from the outlet the floating algae was beginning to congregate. A brighter green cotton candy growth filled the bottom. Most disturbing was the strong sulfur odor arising from underwater rotting vegetation noticeable by all the kayakers. This smell was evident without stirring the water with a paddle. Haydn Bog is fed by cold spring waters. Haydn Bog has always contained much plant growth fueled by the more phosphorus laden springs. Because of the lake level plan it never has a chance to dry out during the growing season like it formerly did at least once or twice a decade during a drought. Each lake wetland is different but all are suffering from the present lake level management plan. The wetlands and bogs of the Songo River are another example of the unfortunate impacts of the present unnatural lake level regulation. With the flushing of these rotting bogs into the lake the downward trend of Sebago Lake’s water clarity is not surprising.
Fundraising- FOSL is conducting a special fundraising effort to enable FOSL to engage in challenging the upcoming issuance of State Water Quality Certification by the DEP. We will elaborate more on the FOSL strategy at the annual meeting. The funds FOSL members donated in 1998 has lasted for 10 years. Thanks to Doug Watts and the dedication of our members we are a respected organization. In the past year we have expanded our capabilities and have helped others in Maine to battle against the unnecessary destructive impacts of unnatural water regulation and impassable dams. New possibilities of attacking this environmental and economic ignorance are near at hand. Please give what you can. If you are angry at SAPPI and the State for ruining the world’s finest inland lake beaches and harming the water quality of one of North America’s cleanest large lakes, and holding the potential natural fishery hostage for the benefit of selfish special interest, this is the best chance to fight back and watch these powers that have wrought this damage be exposed and humiliated and their horrendous policies overturned. Water Quality Certification required for the final issuance of the license is an opportunity that we are ready for.