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| Heather True-Huntt speaking to members of Highland Lake |
Approximately
15 Highland Lake residents, two Windham Town Council members, (Jarrod Maxfield
and David Nadeau – also a Highland Lake resident) and a Planning Board member
(Nick Kalogerakis) attended the Highland Lake
Watershed Management Plan meeting and presentation that occurred last
Wednesday, October 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 48
Cottage Road.
Heather
True-Huntt from the Cumberland County Soil and Water
Conservation District (CCSWCD)
who is also member of the Highland Lake Leadership
Team explained to all present, “The purpose of this public meeting is to
gather feedback from residents regarding the proposed Action Items of a 10 year
Watershed Based Management Plan for Highland Lake.”
First,
a brief reminder about the environmental concerns regarding the health of
Highland Lake. In 2017 it was brought to the attention of the Towns of Windham
and Falmouth as well as to the Highland Lake residents that Highland Lake was
experiencing a sudden change in water clarity. The culprit had been identified
as a form of algae. Although these algae are microscopic, they are growing in
such large populations that they drastically reduce water clarity, thus not
only causing detrimental environmental impacts and quality of the water, but a
grave financial effect on both the town itself as well as to property owners.
It
was from that point that immediate and sincere efforts have been made to
safeguard the lake – and thus the financial investments of all who live in the
greater Windham area. The concern was what Highland Lake was/is experiencing
and its potential impacts on other lakes in the Sebago Lakes region including
Sebago Lake - the source of drinking water for the Greater Portland area and
beyond.
In
order to safeguard the lake and the financial investments of property owners,
the Highland Lake Leadership Team was developed, with support of the Windham
and Falmouth Town Councils. Windham Town Councilor, Donna Chapman, along with
other town officials and Highland Lake leaders, lead the charge to identify the
reasons for the recurring algae bloom and to rectify potential hazards.
In
2018, the HLA conducted a Watershed Survey, which documented sources of erosion
in the water shed. The Watershed
Management Plan, once adopted, will serve as a road map for applying to the EPA
for funding to remediate problematic erosion sites within the HL
watershed.
For
the past 2 years, the Highland Lake Association in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Protection, University
of Southern Maine, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine – Orono and
Bigelow Labs have gathered extensive data in the effort to discern the causes
of the picocyanobacterial blooms – a phenomenon unique to lakes in Maine.
Huntt invited attendees to give feedback to the action
items “We
want to know thoughts: Do you think we’ve captured it all? Is there more we
could do? What might we have missed? Where should we focus first?”
Town
Councilor, David Nadeau focused on the steps that the Town of Windham has taken
in the effort to preserve Highland Lake including the institution of a point
system for all development in the Highland Lake watershed. He then engaged the group with the complex,
and yet absolute prioritization of the need for private roads to be maintained
– as private roads are a major contributor to erosion into Highland Lake. Councilor
Nadeau has a proposal in front of the council, already accepted, that would
require any public easement road plowed by the town to put the equivalent cost
of plowing into road maintenance every year. The figures were presented to the
council and these roads should be hearing from the town in the spring. The
details are being worked out. The costs are defunded for each road in the
proposal. If you have questions, contact councilor Nadeau at 892-7192.
The
issue of septic systems and how they may impact Highland Lake is also of
concern. Real Estate Broker, Nicole Foster stated that it is Maine law that all
septic tanks be inspected during a real estate transaction. The bill (LD 216),
entitled, “An Act to Protect Water Quality by Standardizing the Law Concerning
Septic Inspection in the Shoreland Zone” will be enacted on January 1, 2020.
“An
expansion of the already existing requirements has been extended to include
inland shoreland areas as well,” stated Foster. “As of January 1, 2020, buyers
for properties where septic systems are located within a shoreland area will be
required to hold a septic inspection by completed by a person who is certified
by the Department of Health and Human Services to do so. Exceptions will be
available if there is evidence this inspection was done by the seller or the
system was replaced within the previous 3 years. If the weather conditions do
not allow for the inspection to be completed prior to purchasing, the buyers
will be responsible for holding the inspection within 9 months of the transfer.
If the inspection finds that the system is malfunctioning the system must be
repaired or replaced within one year of transfer.”
A
consideration was suggested that the HLA help raise funds for individuals who
might need financial assistance in the case of septic tank repair or
replacement.
Heather’s
presentation included the fact that the total estimated cost for the
implementation of the Watershed Management Plan over the next 10 years could
reach $854,120. Where is this money
going to come from? Nick Kalogerakis, of the Windham Planning Board Member suggested the following: “Of the 1500
residents who live on the lake watershed, a $50 a year in-kind donation by all
the residents is all that is needed to help improve the quality of the lake and
meet the financial needs in the next 10 years.” That would only be $10 per month
for five months. This could be a simple solution to a complicated environmental
issue.
A
resident suggested that state representatives may be a potential resource in
helping solve the water quality issues at Highland Lake.
Several
emphasized the importance of collaborating with local school districts in the
effort to engage young people in ongoing environmental challenges of preserving
natural resources.
“There
was an overall very positive response to the Action Items as presented,”
commented Rosie Hartzler, President of the HLA.
Rosie is part of the Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) tasked with
drafting the Watershed Management Plan, which will be reviewed by the DEP in
early 2020. Once accepted, there will be
an application to the EPA for funding which is hoped to come online in
2021.
“The
protection of our natural resources is implicitly tied to the overall economic
viability of this community; we all need to continue to participate in the
ongoing effort to preserve and protect Highland Lake” said Rosie Hartzler.
