8544-R5_ML&P_LSLA_2023_FallNewsletter_Web

Water Quality Update Janet Slack

Here are some ways you can help maintain and improve the quality of the lake: • Rake your beaches and any property where plant matter might be washed in. • Use only low phosphate fertilizers on your property. • Pick up and dispose of animal waste. • Get your septic tank pumped if you don’t know when it was last pumped or if it’s been longer than five years. • Plant native vegetation around the shoreline of your property. Low growing plants will not impact your enjoyment of the lake. • Get a LakeSmart inspection of your property to find more ways you can help improve the water quality of Little Sebago.

It was a tough summer for the water quality of Little Sebago. Did you notice how dark the water was when you looked into the lake? How you couldn’t really see the lake bottom like usual? The reason for this was the presence of dissolved organic carbon in the water and according to the Lake Stewards of Maine who oversee our testing program, the presence of that naturally occurring compound put us in danger of both algae blooms and fish kills. We were fortunate that none of that happened this year. Here’s the science behind the problem: • We had three years of drought conditions before this year. • Fallen leaves and dried march grasses piled up in places with no major rains to wash them away. • This spring’s large rain storms flushed all the broken down plant matter into the lake in the form of dissolved organic carbon which requires oxygen to break down, in turn lowering oxygen levels in the lake from early July until September. The effect was extreme; we had a large layer of deep water with very little oxygen in it in all three basins. Not having enough oxygen to breathe caused stress in the fish forcing them much closer to the surface than normal. We also measured the clarity of the water; the results were the worst of any summer since at least 1982. The changing weather patterns created this problem and we must be prepared for weather surprises to continue. Although we can’t change the weather, the actions we take to benefit the lake matter a great deal. Every little bit helps more than you know and can be the difference between being in a risky position and having a disaster. It’s up to us to keep our fishery healthy and to prevent algae blooms.

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