Updated: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 11:45 AM
Branch Pond
Association Newsletters Home
Spring 1991 Newsletter
| Topics: Branch Lake Watershed Ordinance City of Ellsworth Asks For Our Help Sand Beach C.A.R.E. Cornor Store |
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Station Blues Loons & Black Flies Ellsworth City Library Who You Gonna Call Sailing Season Reminder |
President Chuck Rohn has sent in the following two articles updating our information on the Watershed Ordinance and a city request for help.
BRANCH LAKE WATERSHED ORDINANCE
The City of Ellsworth Water Department is completing a project, which includes a new water intake in the lower lake and a pumping station on the shore. As part of this new project, the city contracted with CES (Civil Engineering Services) to survey the topography of the Branch Lake area and define the boundaries of the land, which drains into Branch Lake. This area is called the Branch Lake watershed and consists of 17,000 acres in Ellsworth, Orland and Dedham.
Although Branch Lake is currently rated by the DEP as having outstanding water quality, the city is concerned with future development and its effect an the lake. A subcommittee of the planning board was formed and has been working an a new ordinance which is intended to ensure future water quality through increased land use restrictions in the entire watershed area.
CES included a proposed ordinance in their study. Over the winter the subcommittee has been reviewing this ordinance and taking public comment on the proposal. Officers of your association have attended all of these meetings, which have been occurring every few weeks.
There has been little public support for the CES proposed ordinance. Modification of the proposed ordinance has been explored and for the moment rejected in favor of developing a new ordinance based on more definitive research into the base line conditions of the watershed area. This approach is expected to take a year or two to produce a comprehensive ordinance. In the meantime, the planning board subcommittee will recommend an interim ordinance designed to keep the status quo in the watershed.
Two main sources of water quality problems are being considered. One is phosphorus and other nutrients. The second is chemical pollutants such as gasoline, oil hazardous waste, etc.
Phosphorus and other nutrients indirectly create algae, which can be seen as green scum in warm periods of the summer. Algae reduces the oxygen in the water, reduces visibility and creates odors when it decays. DEP and other environmental groups propose using one-acre quotas on the amount of phosphorus allowed to reach the lake through natural and man-made runoff. A per acre quota has been established for the Branch Pond watershed of .0835 pounds per acre per year. That is 1 1/3 ounces per year per acre of land.
In order to prevent these pollutants from entering the lake, restrictions will be imposed on those activities that could increase the runoff and the contamination reaching the lake. Although no one group of restrictions is currently being pushed, some examples of restrictions discussed are:
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Further limiting the one tine expansion capability of dwellings located within 100 feet of the water to 10% instead of the currently allowed 30%. |
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Requiring permits and erosion control plans for any instance where 10 cubic yards or more of fill or gravel are moved. |
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Prohibiting agriculture on areas larger than 112 acre. |
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Restrictions on timber harvesting and activities that reduce the natural canopy. |
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Restrictions on septic system design. |
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Restrictions on driveways and roads. |
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Restrictions on construction techniques and development plans. |
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Restrictions on recreational activities. |
The above per acre quota was designed to be applied uniformly throughout the watershed area. Some have suggested creating multiple zones and applying progressively stricter standards nearer to the lake. Basically two zones currently exist in the watershed. Most of the land is designated R2, except the land within 250 feet of the lake or streams. This land is designated RP (Resource Protection). Development in the RP zone is already severely restricted and the tenor of some of the discussion has been to further restrict the RP zoned shore front in order to allow the remaining land to have little or no new restrictions. The DPA position has been that this approach would not be acceptable.
It is imperative that we present a united and strong presence in the development of these ordinances. Public opinion has a strong bearing on the course of events. The city is resigned to enact some form of ordinance. Our task as landowners and members of the BPA is to ensure that the ordinance is one that we can live with. We must not ignore this issue or become complacent about the process.
CITY OF ELLSWORTH ASKS FOR ON HELP
The need to maintain the water quality in Branch Pond transcends political and emotional boundaries. The city is planning to develop a survey, which is intended to give it a clearer picture of the present condition around the lake. Although such of the information sought is available in various records, it is apparently difficult to extract and say not be complete. R.C.&D., a research group, which is part of the USDA, will help put this base line information together, but they need volunteers to help with the questionnaires. The city has asked if members of the BPA would be willing to help with this survey. If you are willing to spend some free time this summer working on this project, please contact BPA president, Chuck Rohn at 72 Canterbury Rd, Bangor Maine, phone (207) 941-1240 days and (207) 989-4005 evenings.
Here are two telephone numbers for reference in case of after hour’s fires, etc at Sand Beach:
Paul Perry 326-4875
or
Mike Myster 546-2346
Over the last several weeks Ellsworth and Branch Pond area residents in particular have been alarmed at a report filed by the Maine Waste Management Agency. The report has recommended two Ellsworth sites as potential Toxic Waste Dumps.
Such a dump area would receive toxic wastes from a national base rather than a local base. Of immediate concern is a site off Christian Ridge Road and the Old Bangor Road that is in a marshy area near Branch Pond Stream. This would mean the seizure by eminent domain of property belonging to the Fenn family including the family homestead. Judy McGeorge moved from Delaware to the homestead last year and has been renovating it for her use as a year round residence.
C.A.R.E. (Citizens Allied to Respect the Environment) has been formed to actively oppose this Toxic Waste Dump. If you would like sore information, call Debra Parent at 667-4361 or Judy McGeorge at 667-4591.
Information released by the NWHA is available for the public at the Hancock County Planning Commission on Rte 1A just north of Ellsworth Falls.
The Ellsworth American and the Ellsworth city council have both taken stands against the creation of the dump, but citizen pressure on state government - governor, senators, representatives is important.
If you wish to call the Maine Waste Management Agency directly, their phone number is 1-800-662-4545 (The 800 number is good only in Maine).
The focal point of Ellsworth Falls is no longer available to us as customers. Dick's Cornor Store has gone out of business during the late winter necessitating a drive further in to town for the many staples that were available at the corner.
Ellsworth is still in the midst of a contract dispute with PERC concerning the disposition of materials from the transfer station. Currently the trucks leave the transfer station and proceed to the landfill to deposit their contents.
The transfer station is still available to us, but there is a strong possibility of a annual fee for the privilege.
Many of both were spotted by your faithful editor in mid-May. VP Cal Anderson reported more loons than he had seen in other years from his vantage point on the west shore.
Cal also reports that he and Terry were tempted to try a swim in early May - during one of those 'hot' spells but cooler heads prevailed.
The long anticipated library addition was finished this spring and had its official opening on June 1st. It is truly a handsome building.
If you are in town already, the Portland Museum of Art has an exhibition at the library until June 14th. It is entitled Lighting the Landscape: Artists' Use of Light. The exhibit is well worth a visit. It includes works by Andrew Wyeth, Childe Hassam, Charles Cadman and others. Of particular interest was a light sculpture by Earl Reiback.
Library hours are:
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Tuesday 10-5 |
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Wednesday 10-7 |
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Thursday 10-5 |
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Friday 10-5 |
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Saturday 9-1 |
The library annual book sale is tentatively set for July 20.
The following is a list of the executive committee and the officers of the Branch Pond Association. These are the folks who are currently the focal point for the association's activities. This should make it easier to call when ideas or potential problems arise.
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Chuck Rohn (President) & Carol Rohn 667-2628 |
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Cal Anderson (Vice President) & Terri Blanchard 667-7943 |
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Dick Mitchell (Secretary) & Frances Mitchell 667-9283 |
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Jan Fuller (Treasurer) & Sam Fuller 667-5625 |
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Ellsworth & Doris Bourque 667-2670 |
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Dave & Joyce Hardy 667-5983 |
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George & Charlotte Lewis 667-8506 |
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Steve & Lisi Salsbury |
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Paul Wight (Commodore) 667-7874 |
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Jim & Ruth Woodall 667-5114 |
If you wish to test the quality of water at your camp here is the address and phone number of the lab:
Maine Biological Laboratories
China Road
Winslow, Maine 04901
Phone 873-3989
The first race of the season will be held at 2:00 pm on July 4th. It will be a 'Polish' race with a signal at some random point during the race to reverse course and finish at the starting line. After the race, it's off to the Commodore’s for refreshments.
Commodore Paul Night is planning Sunday races thereafter until the year-end regatta on August 11th.
