A grant has been awarded to fund Phase II of the Mousam Lake Water Quality Improvement Project. The project, which focuses on low cost practical solutions to erosion and other “non-point source” pollution problems, is being managed by the York County Soil and Water Conservation District and guided by a project steering committee. Funding is provided in part by the Maine DEP through a U.S. EPA Nonpoint Source Grant under Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.

Project staff are continuing conservation work throughout the Mousam Lake watershed (which includes Loon, Goose and Square Ponds) by providing free technical assistance to landowners, designing and implementing repairs for high priority sites, and holding hands-on workshops to teach participants how to design and install vegetated buffers. The steering committee includes the Towns of Acton and Shapleigh, the Mousam Lake Region Association, York County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). Phase II has already commenced and will extend through the summer of 2005.

One of the highlights of Phase II will be the hosting of “Septic Socials” around Mousam Lake, at which homeowners will learn how septic systems function, and how to use and maintain them to protect water quality. These gatherings promise to be the social events of the season!

The continued success of this program relies on local participation. If you are interested in receiving technical assistance, joining the steering committee, hosting a Septic Social, or serving as a neighborhood representative, please contact Deborah Kendall at YCSWCD at: 207-324-7015, or 207-432-2002, or at deborah-kendall@me.nacdnet.org.

Our initial season was principally funded by a State of Maine/DEP Grant which allowed for one season funds only. This “seed” program recognized the need to reduce Non-Point Source Pollution, especially Phosphorus, and particularly in Mousam Lake.

Perhaps more correctly, our organization might be called the Mousam Lake Watershed YCC. Our area contains five Great Ponds and numerous streams that deliver water and potential contaminants to our five lakes. Presently we cover 19+ square miles, focusing our efforts on projects and sites that directly effect lake water. To attempt to correct or prevent erosion only at the lake shoreline would be unproductive. Camp roads, highways, and streams are among the many sources of sediment which may flow for a considerable distance before arriving at the lake. While a major concentration of our efforts has been to address erosion occurring along Upper and Lower Mousam, projects have been completed at Loon, Goose, and Square Ponds as well.

Free Technical Assistance has been available to all. This is one of the first steps. Property owners experiencing erosion or water flow problems are encouraged to receive a Technical Assistance visit. Recommendations are without obligation; reports are given to land owners to provide information. Those wishing to proceed may explore the potential for inclusion into the MLYCC season. MLYCC projects are designed to provide actual working models or examples for effective and permissible means to control erosion problems. YCC projects alone cannot solve the problems of a contaminated lake, but are instrumental toward allowing the community at large a better means to afford a reverse in our water quality decline.

Selection of sites to be included in a typical YCC season is based on several criteria. First come, first serve is but a part, examples displaying Best Management Practices are preferred, and size and scale of a project are important considerations. With only eight weeks average for our erosion control team, our aim is to cover the broadest area rather than a few select sites. Our sites are examples of projects that can be accomplished through manual labor and with a reasonable number of individuals. Projects that need heavy or specialized machinery may include YCC efforts for a portion, but again, the YCC premise remains that a great deal may be accomplished with small efforts rather than by large changes.

Certain sites include factors suggesting that work might be accomplished best by team effort. An excellent case in point: sites where materials had to be conveyed down steep slopes. Our team efforts not only accomplished the task, but did so with the least impact on the terrain or environment. Occasionally, extenuating circumstances indicate the best reason to select a site as one of the YCC projects. A household may have special needs due to health considerations, for example. Many of our sites are included as we perceive an opportunity to address an imminent source of sediment flow.

While such structures were introduced in the past to arrest shoreline erosion, they can be very problematic. One major consideration is seen when the forces of waves and currents becomes reflected to nearby shorelines. While the immediate protection may be granted, multiplied erosion may occur as a result. As is becoming alarmingly evident around the region, such structures pose grave problems when they fail or require maintenance. Many current shoreline areas have cracked and/or leaning walls which have held huge quantities of sediment behind them. Should they collapse, the amount of phosphorus contamination may be extreme. Our regulations must consider long term solutions rather than short term fixes.

It is always advisable to contact the MLYCC, your local Code Enforcement Officer, and/or the DEP before proceeding on your own. Shoreland Zoning can appear at times quite complicated, but this does not mean that forward efforts cannot take place. Obtaining a permit (sometimes both local and state PBR required) also allows for an explanation of procedure as well as a review of the proposed design.