Watershed Plans
awwaadmin April 25th, 2008
Watershed-based Management Plan for the Salmon Falls River Headwaters
On June 20, 2008 the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) held a Kickoff Meeting to introduce its Watershed-based Management Plan project for the High Quality Waters of the AWWA region that flow into the Salmon Falls River. AWWA has been awarded a Watershed Assistance grant from the NH Department of Environmental Services to develop a watershed-based management plan (WBMP) for the headwaters of the Salmon Falls River including Great East Lake, Horn Pond, Lake Ivanhoe, Lovell Lake, Wilson Lake and all their tributaries. Partnering on the project are the York County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), ME Dept. of Environmental Protection, NH Dept. of Environmental Services, Forrest Bell Environmental, UNH Cooperative Extension and the local lake associations.
The WBMP will describe the present conditions, predict future conditions and offer recommendations to preserve the high quality water status of all the lakes and ponds of the region. This two-year project will include analysis of all water quality data, on-the-ground volunteer watershed surveys, review of all existing regulations and Master Plans, and land use modeling. It is AWWA’s intention to provide the communities, lake associations and other stakeholder groups with a useful, timely and relevant tool to prevent degradation of the water quality and to protect property values.
Volunteer watershed surveys throughout the Great East Lake, Horn Pond, Lake Ivanhoe and Lovell Lake watersheds will be conducted starting this June. The surveys will focus not only on the lakeshores but also on the entire watersheds. A watershed is the land that drains to a lake by surface runoff, tributary streams, springs, and groundwater recharge. The watersheds of the project region cover 26.08 square miles (16,691 acres) within Acton and Wakefield with Great East Lake at 15.53 sq mi, Lovell Lake at 4.7 sq mi, Wilson Lake at 3.86 sq mi, Horn Pond at 1.73 sq mi, and Lake Ivanhoe at .26 sq mi. (See attached map.)
Throughout the surveys, volunteers from around each lake will be looking for sites where “nonpoint source” (NPS) pollution takes place. The term NPS pollution is used in scientific circles to denote erosion from stormwater runoff. Soil is the largest pollutant to Maine and New Hampshire’s lakes and ponds, and it can have far-reaching consequences. Activities like construction, road building, land clearing and even small residential areas with bare soil or sparse vegetation can release sediment into the watershed. Soil particles carry the nutrient phosphorus, which essentially “fertilizes” the waterbody and leads to nuisance algae blooms. Fish habitat can also be affected due to decreased dissolved oxygen. Studies have shown that as water clarity decreases, property values also drop. Once these problems occur, they recur and are very expensive to fix.
According to Project Manager Linda Schier, “It’s not just lakeshore activities that can affect a lake’s water quality. Sediment may wash into the lake or pond from sites high up in the surrounding hills. That is why the surveys will look at the entire watersheds.”
The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance works cooperatively with landowners to protect natural resources. Information collected in these surveys will not be used for regulatory or enforcement purposes. Rather, it is the first step in a long-term program to work with the communities to preserve the high quality waters in the Wakefield and Acton watersheds. Participation is purely voluntary.
AWWA is looking for volunteers for each watershed survey. Landowners within each watershed will receive an announcement letter prior to the survey dates and are encouraged to participate in the survey.
The Kickoff Meeting will be held on June 20 @ 3 pm at the Acton Town Hall, 35 H Road, Acton, Maine. All community members are invited to attend. If you would like more information about the project or to get involved, please contact Linda Schier or Adam Shoukimas at the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance at 603.473.2500.
Funding for this project was provided in part by a grant from the NH Department of Environmental Services with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.