(taken
from an article in the Lewiston Sun-Journal, summer 2005).
TLIA has advocated buffering as a
prime method of reducing runoff from polluting or adding phosphorus to
the lake. Trees, bushes and natural grasses absorb water and its
attendant pollutants before they reach the lake. The proof lies in the
following article.
“In this season of stormy weather
and floods, the University of New Hampshire has been studying the runoff
that flows off parking lots, road and lawns---the chief source of water
pollution in the country.
Until now, there’s been little
scientific data to compare how various treatment techniques work when
conditions are controlled so they’re the same from one to the next.
Retention ponds and gullies lined with gravel are the most common
approaches to treating stormwater runoff, but are among the least
effective at preventing pollution.
The Stormwater Center used a 9-acre
watershed next to a university parking lot to test various stormwater
treatment systems. One recessed area contained two feet of coarse sand
acting as a water filter. Another has a combination of sand, soil, wood
chips and compost planted with native wetlands plants.
Among the discoveries has been
that layering soils and plants to mimic a natural wetland is highly
successful at containing sediment, absorbing excess nutrients and
breaking down petroleum products so they don’t pollute nearby waterways
or ground water.”
Erosion
Exposed soil is subject to the
effects of wind and rain. Since all land areas eventually drain into
streams, rivers, lakes or coastal waters, soil and other pollutants,
picked up by runoff, get deposited into these resources. The visible
impact of eroded soil is rills, gullies, and muddy water. The invisible
impact is damage to the habitats used by fish and other aquatic life.
In 1997, Maine law mandated that all
construction projects of any size were required to use measures such as
hay bales and silt fences on the downhill side to control sediment
transport off site. This ensured that the site was permanently
stabilized with mulch or vegetation to control erosion as soon as it was
feasible
On July 1, 2005, the Erosion Control
Law applied to all existing chronic erosion problems in Maine’s
most-at-risk watershed. ( Tripp Lake is in this category). The law will
be enforceable by both the DEP and Code Enforcement Officers in towns
with watersheds named most-at-risk by DEP.
What are chronic erosion problems?
Improperly maintained camp roads, ditches and embankments showing major
rills and gullies, plugged or inadequate culverts, large areas of
exposed soil, washouts downhill from points of concentrated storm water
runoff.
If you have any of these problems
and don’t know how to solve them, contact Art Dunlap, Code
Enforcement Office of Poland, Jeff Chappell at the Municipal Garage or
Phoebe Hardesty at The Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation
District (Tel: 207- 753-9400) . They will direct someone to help
you.
We’ve done a lot, but there’s still
much to be done.