The Destruction of Sebago Lake's Shoreline
Long Point, Sebago Lake, Standish, Maine. August, 1997. The photo shows
a large turbidity plume originating from a severely eroding bank about 1,000
feet from this dock. Artificially high lake levels at Sebago since 1987
have removed the protective beach berm from much of Sebago Lake's shoreline.
This has allowed wave action to directly erode the shoreline of Sebago Lake
and cause large scale collapse and slumping of steep banks. As the photo
illustrates, this erosion action has allowed the release of massive amounts
of soil and silt into the water column of Sebago Lake.
FOSL member Nels Thompson examines newly exposed beds of marine
clay/silt on the shore of Frye Island, the largest island in Sebago Lake.
Artificially high lake levels have caused extreme erosion and collapse of
the shore of Frye Island in recent years. The turbidity resulting from the
exposure of this clay to wave action causes large plumes of turbidity in
the lake. The effect on water clarity can be seen in the water next to Mr.
Thompson's legs. Of equal concern is that this marine silt/clay contains
phosphorus which is known to contribute toward algae blooms, reduced water
clarity and water quality. Photo taken June, 1998.
For more information
on water quality impacts of erosion in Sebago, go here.
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