Lake Protection

The resources of the watershed are enjoyed today, but they need to be protected if they are to be enjoyed tomorrow. Almost everything we do in the watershed has an impact on our environment, and hence on the quality of the lake. Whether you live on the lakeshore or elsewhere in the watershed, activities such as home construction, landscaping, forestry or agriculture all have the potential of creating adverse erosion and runoff, which add phosphorus and other nutrients to the lake, resulting in lower water quality.

Poor water quality affects us all. A decrease in water quality:

• Makes it less desirable to boat and swim in the lake;
• Affects native plants and animals, including fish and birds;
• Makes the area less desirable for seasonal visitors to frequent the lake, thus affecting the local economy;
• Decreases the value of lakefront property.

As demonstrated in communities elsewhere in Maine, when water quality decreases, the value of lakefront properties also decrease. This means lakefront property owners gain less from selling their properties. This also means that towns take in less taxes from lakefront properties. Since the towns need the same amount of funding to operate, the end result is increased taxes for property owners not on the lakeshore. This is an unhappy scenario for everyone.

So what can you do to help protect our lake?

Today there are two major areas of concern with respect to the lake:

the discovery of the invasive aquatic plant, Hydrilla, and phosphorus and other nutrient runoff.

Invasive Aquatic Plants

In September 2009, Hydrilla was confirmed in Damariscotta Lake by both the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.

The infestation was found by DLWA volunteer Dick Butterfield, who attended an invasive aquatic plant workshop in July of 2009.

Hydrilla is considered to be the worst invasive aquatic plant in North America and is currently found in only one other Maine Lake, Pickerel Pond in Limerick. Damariscotta Lake is the 31st Maine Lake known to host an invasive aquatic plant, and the first known in Lincoln County. 

              Dick Butterfield

It is unknown how this plant was introduced into the lake and how long it has been here. Hydrilla is native to parts of Africa, Australia and Asia. For more information about Hydrilla, including the full lakeshore survey coordinated by DLWA, click here.

DLWA currently has two volunteer-based programs to help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive aquatic plants in the lake: Courtesy Boat Inspections and the Invasive Plant Patrol. 

• Courtesy Boat Inspection volunteers take shifts at the Route 213 State Boat Launch in Jefferson on weekends. They educate boaters and check all incoming and outgoing boats and trailers for plant fragments.  With Hydrilla known to be in the lake, Courtesy Boat Inspectors will now work to prevent any new invasive plants from entering the lake, as well as working to prevent any fragments of Hydrilla from leaving the lake. Click here to access the online CBI calendar. Please contact Julia Davis for the sign in name and password.
• Invasive Plant Patrol volunteers survey a section of the lake’s shoreline once a year looking for invasive aquatic plants and recording native plant species found. DLWA is gearing up for a complete survey of Damariscotta Lake's 45 miles of shoreline in 2010. DLWA provides training, and volunteers complete the surveys at their leisure. Could you help ensure the beauty and health of Damariscotta Lake by doing  your part and taking a short section of shoreline? Contact Julia Davis at Julia@dlwa.org for more information or check out the Events Calendar for training dates.  

                               Hydrilla

Water Quality Monitoring

DLWA has monitored the water quality of Damariscotta Lake for more than 20 years. Volunteer members of DLWA monitor three environmentally distinct sections of the lake, something that few other lake associations do. They monitor the deepest spot in the lake in Great Bay, the deepest spot in Muscongus Bay, and the deepest spot in the South Arm. Each of these spots test significantly differently from each other due to their shape and surroundings. Volunteers monitor twice a month from May through October for water clarity and mg/dl of dissolved oxygen.

For more information, check out our Water Quality Page or download a preliminary water quality report for Damariscotta Lake in 2009. This report is produced by the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, located in Auburn, Maine. This group trains and certifies our testers and our DO meter, to insure that we are in line with all other lake monitors in the state. They ultimately collect our data and data from over 300 lakes statewide. Additionally, VLMP sends their experts to test the lake and also look for invasive species.

By constantly testing water quality throughout the lake for over 20 years, the association has been able to establish a baseline to understand when changes in water quality occur.

LakeSmart

The LakeSmart program is an incentive and education program to held lakeshore property owners implement lake-friendly landscaping techniques. DLWA began to implement the LakeSmart program on Damariscotta Lake in the summer of 2009.

LakeSmart is a free program for property owners who are concerned about the lake-friendliness of their homes. This program rates properties based on four categories:

• Road, driveway and parking area;
• Structures and septic system;
• Lawn, recreation areas and footpaths;
• Shorefront and beach areas.

Property owners who participate in the program can receive an award for good practices in several or all of the categories. All property owners receive coupons for local businesses and advice (if they so desire).

The three-year goal of the LakeSmart program is to have a 15 percent award rate in a defined focus area. For Damariscotta Lake, DLWA has chosen 3 different geographic locations for our focus area: Great Bay, the Narrows, and the South Arm.  Each area consists of 36 member properties, for an overall focus area of 108 properties. LakeSmart is not limited to these focus areas, however.

If you are interested in having your property evaluated or volunteering as a property screener, please contact DLWA at 549-3836 or Julia@dlwa.org.

DLWA is participating in this program in collaboration with the Pemaquid Watershed Association. Funding for this program for three years comes from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, who provide free training to LakeSmart screeners; pamphlets and evaluation forms; and LakeSmart property visits by paid evaluators. More information about LakeSmart can be found online at the DEP’s website.

The first property evaluated by the LakeSmart team to meet all the criteria for a LakeSmart award is owned by Marty and Betty Welt of Nobleboro.

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