East Pond Watershed Survey
Current Updates
East Pond is the headwater lake in the chain of lakes known as the Belgrade Lakes, which are part of the larger Kennebec River watershed. As the headwater lake, the water quality of East Pond impacts all the downstream waterbodies. Two of the four downstream lakes are listed as impaired, while the other two are considered threatened.
East Pond was listed as impaired on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s (Maine DEP) 303(d) list for failing to meet state water quality standards and for the presence of nuisance blue-green algal blooms. The lake experienced recurring algal blooms from the early 1990s until it received an alum treatment in 2018. This alum treatment remains the largest of its kind in New England.
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This section will be updated when news is available.
General Information
Environmental Concern
East Pond's water quality is impacted by both internal and external phosphorus loading. Internal phosphorus, from the lake's sediments, was once the largest source but has been significantly reduced by the 2018 alum treatment. Now, runoff from the surrounding watershed is the primary source of phosphorus, and the lake's slow turnover rate makes it especially susceptible to this runoff.
Since the 2014 watershed survey is outdated, a new one is needed to apply for funding to address the external phosphorus load. Recently, signs of phosphorus release from the lake's sediments suggest that the alum treatment may be losing its effectiveness sooner than expected. This raises concerns about whether the treatment was large enough for the lake or if the external pollution hasn't been fully addressed.
Current status
This section is under construction. Please check back later for more information.
Grant funding for this project has been provided through Maine DEP’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund