Feb. 2025- People owning property on Maine lakefront property value the beauty and quality of life Maine lakes provide.

Nothing beats getting up in the morning gazing out over crystal clear water and listening to the cry of the loon as you sip your morning coffee, heading out to spend a quiet afternoon fishing, or watching the kids splash about.

Did you know, however, that according to statistics from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection 123 Maine lakes are at risk of algal blooms and 31 Maine lakes are listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act?

Unfortunately, our lakes are threatened by invasive aquatic species and algae blooms due to more phosphorous going into the lakes and warmer waters.

Luke Frankel, a staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, explained the continuing threats to water quality, naming development, aging septic systems, shoreline erosion and deforestation as key drivers.

Imagine instead of gazing over crystal clear water you were looking at pea soup.

The responsibility for keeping Maine lakes clean has rested primarily on local lake associations.  These associations receive funds from lakeshore property owners, local town, grants and fundraisers.  They then use the money monitor lake quality and provide treatments as necessary.

As an example of cost, one aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment can cost upwards of $200,000.  These treatments remove phosphates through precipitation, forming a heavier than water particulate known as a floc.  This floc then settles to the lake bottom to create a barrier that retards sediment phosphorus release.

Now, the local lake associations are looking to the state to help them foot the massive undertaking of keeping Maine lakes healthy.

LD 296, a bill that proposes to invest $4 million over two years into a fund to restore and protect lake quality, has been introduced to Maine legislators.

A committee will hold a work session on the bill in the coming weeks.

By: Teresa Dyer-Ferent