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Mousam Lake Region Association |
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| Previous Issues | Summer 2002 Newsletter -- Page 3 | |||
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Lake Enchancement Here is a brief overview of a grant being proposed for a 2-year project on Mousam Lake. GENERAL PROJECT PLAN: The Mousam Lake Water Quality Improvement Project will extend 24 months, starting in April 2003 and finishing in March 2005. The project will be managed by the York County Soil & Water Conservation District (YCSWCD) and guided by a project steering committee. Local partners include the Towns of Acton and Shapleigh, the Mousam Lake Region Association (MLRA), and USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Local partners will provide match through in-kind services, cash contributions, and /or labor. Through this project, staff and volunteers will coordinate and install conservation practices on one town and one private road site and 27 high priority residential sites, as well as provide technical assistance to at least 50 landowners. The project will continue the summer Youth Conservation Corps that will provide watershed residents and road associations with labor to install recommended conservation practices. Staff will work closely with the neighborhoods around Mousam Lake to coordinate and carry out 16 “septic socials”, 8 each summer. During the social, participants will learn to check the sludge and scum layer as well as the flow of the system. Staff and MLRA volunteers will also coordinate two hands-on workshops that teach participants how to design and install vegetated buffers. Four newsletters will be distributed to advertise project activities, generate local participation, and promote the use of conservation practices. Project events will also be advertised through local media and the MLRA newsletter. This information was received from Tamara Lee Pinard, Lakes Program Manager. The MLRA Board of Directors supports this project for lake enhancement and has sent a letter to the YCSWCD indicating their support. Water testing results have been received for 2001 and showed some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Secchi disk readings (which determine water clarity) were as high as 8 meters, a better range than we’ve seen in the last few years. This means that the Secchi disk, a black-and-white patterned disk, was seen clearly up to 8 meters below the surface of the lake. The bad news is that levels of oxygen at the bottom of the lake, measured with the recently purchased dissolved oxygen meter, were very poor. A level of less than 1.0 means that not enough oxygen is being stored at the bottom of the lake to support marine life throughout the winter months. Our levels only ranged from .2 to .3 in 2001. If this level does not improve, we could see fish and other marine life begin to die out in the future. The best way to increase the level of dissolved oxygen is to decrease the amount of phosphorus washing into the lake. As we’ve explained before, phosphorus feeds algae and ultimately prevents dissolved oxygen from reaching the bottom of the lake where it’s needed. We have been working on this problem for several years now and will continue to do so, with the help of the Youth Conservation Corps and other available resources. Please take a look at your shoreline and do whatever you can to prevent sand from washing into the lake. Plant vegetated buffers or install rock rip-rap to keep as much sand out as possible. Divert runoff from camp roads by placing strategic timbers to divert water away from the lake, or dig ditches to catch runoff where possible. The folks at York County Soil & Water would be happy to give anyone more information on runoff prevention. Just give them a call at 207-324-7015. We would also be remiss if we didn’t remind boaters who go from lake to lake to check their propellers for any type of water plant residue. The tiniest bit of plant clinging to a propeller can take root and cause a major catastrophe in a lake if not caught in time. Please make it a habit to thoroughly clean the propeller and underside of your boat whenever you travel to a different body of water. You’ll help save the lake for future generations to enjoy. |
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