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FOWL to conduct watershed survey in Wilton

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Wilson Lake, as photographed by Tom Marcellino.
Wilson Lake, as photographed by Tom Marcellino.

WILTON – On Saturday, Sept. 24 the Friends of Wilson Lake will be conducting watershed surveys for Wilson Lake, Varnum Pond and Pease Pond.

The purpose of the survey is to help understand the trend of declining water clarity that has been documented at Wilson Lake over the past decade, to create a list of source-water protection strategies for Varnum Pond, and to better understand the inputs to Pease Pond that have led to algal blooms in the past. The survey will update the 1994 watershed survey, allowing FOWL and the watershed towns to be eligible for state and federal watershed restoration and clean drinking water grants. The goals of the survey are to document potential pollution sources that may be contributing to poor water quality conditions and to make recommendations and provide solutions to address these sources of pollution.

Seven watershed experts and as many as 40 trained volunteers will participate in surveying the developed areas of the watershed by car and on foot. The information from this survey will provide a better understanding of the current problems facing Wilson, Varnum and Pease ponds, help to address high priority problems identified during the survey, and enable FOWL and the town to apply for additional grant funds that can be used to improve lake water quality. Results of the survey will be compiled into a watershed survey report. This information will be presented at a public meeting later this fall.

Wilson Lake, Varnum Pond and Pease Pond are all located in Wilton and drain to Wilson Stream, which flows to the Sandy River, which flows to the Kennebec River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The Wilson Lake watershed covers 27 square miles, Varnum Pond watershed is 4.2 square miles, and the Pease Pond watershed is 2.1 square miles. The survey is being led by Jennifer Jespersen of Ecological Instincts who is serving as the technical consultant for FOWL. Project support is provided by the Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District, the University of Maine at Farmington, Spruce Mt. High School, the Maine Drinking Water Program, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and the towns of Wilton, Temple and Jay.

For more information contact Rob Lively at (207) 645-2982.

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