The Erosion of Sebago Lake
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, summer and fall lake levels were
increased dramatically by the SAPPI paper company, which controls the level
of Sebago Lake. The high levels caused severe erosion of the natural beach
and old growth red and pitch pines at Sebago Lake State Park in Naples.
Some beachgoers asked for their money back. Photo from Portland Press-Herald.
Huge plumes of eroded clay from the banks of Frye Island have become
a common sight in Sebago Lake after storms and large swells. Unnaturally
high lake levels in the late 1980s and 1990s destroyed the protective beach
berm from many parts of Sebago, leaving the soft, silt-clay banks such as
those on Frye Island fully exposed to highly eroding wave action.
Rip-Rap,
Route 35
High lake levels has caused the collapse of wooded banks and severe
erosion of along the south end of Sebago Lake near the Portland Water District
intake. As a result, the Water District spent over $500,000 in federal funds
to protect Route 35 with huge banks of stone rip-rap.
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