Lake Info
This page is about Worromontogus Lake, including historical facts, safety tips, and other important information. In this page you can find:
Information about the annual fish stocking report
(May 2008) More Documentation on Invasive Aquatic Plants in Maine
(Mar 2008) Take the Good Neighbor pledge! - National Wildlife Federation
(Mar 2008) KCSWCD Phosphorus Control Report
(Feb 2008) A Laker’s Dozenn - 13 ways you can help the lake
(Jan 2008) Information about Fertilizer, its laws, and how it affects the lake.
(Jan 2008) A wonderful list of “ice out” dates, kept on the rafters of Ken Harvey since 1936, continued to this day by his son, Richard Harvey.
(Jan 2008) Safety tips about Ice, including ice thickness and windchill info
(Jan 2008) Reviews and studies of our watershed by: Maine’s DEP, KCSWCD, and students of Colby College
Annual Fish Stocking Report
A Laker’s Dozen
13 Ways you can help the lake
1. Always check boat, trailer and equipment for plant fragments before launch and after take-out.
2. Respect Shoreland Zone Regulations. Before making any change on your land, check with your town to see what’s permitted and what’s not in the shoreland: 250’ of the lake and 75’ of streams.
3. Control storm water run-off from buildings, paths, driveways and road. Check your property on a rainy day and fix run-off sites by planting vegetation or constructing swales to direct water flow away from the lake.
4. Cultivate a wooded buffer. Trees, shrubs and grasses slow the flow and filter soil and pollutants from rainwater before they end up in the lake.
5. Limit lawn size, mow less often, and don’t rake duff within 75 feet of shore.
6. Limit fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide use. Long lasting residues in these chemicals can turn lakes green and harm aquatic life.
7. Don’t stress the septic system. Inspect the system yearly. Pump the tank regularly. Systems 20 years and older should be inspected by a specialist. Use phosphorus-free cleaners, and detergents. Stagger laundry loads. Minimize water use. Don’t put grease or toxics down the drain.
8. Construct docks and floats with lake-friendly materials. Choose cedar, cypress, plastic, or aluminum over wood that’s pressure-treated with arsenic.
9. Dogs, humans and boats should never be washed in the lake!
10. Observe headway speed within 200 feet of shore. Boating in shallow water disturbs fish habitat and stirs up sediment.
11. When you replace a boat motor, choose a clean 4-stroke engine.
12. Preserve wildlife habitat on land and underwater. Lake shallows and shorelands are home to many native species and nurseries for young.
13. Support your local lake association and Maine COLA.
Fertilizer Bill Passes!
Our thanks to Representative Jane Eberle of South Portland, who sponsored COLA’s bill to protect and improve lake water quality by reducing Phosphorus in lawn care fertilizer.
And our thanks go as well to the 35 stalwart lake activists who trekked to Augusta and packed the Natural Resources Committee Hearing Room to show their support at the Public Hearing last February. Many experts and lake activists testified for the bill, and many independent lawn care representatives spoke against it.
Applicators’ early concerns were addressed by amendments that made clear the bill didn’t intended to prevent the use of Phosphorus for starting new lawns. When it came to a vote, the Committee was unanimous in passing the bill, virtually guaranteeing the House and Senate would follow suite. This occurred just last week, and now the bill just waits the Governor’s signature before becoming law.
So, what’s in the new law?
After January 1, 2008, all retail establishments selling lawn care products must post a sign near lawn care supplies informing customers that it’s illegal to apply lawn care products containing fertilizer unless a soil test has shown a Phosphorus deficiency, or unless the fertilizer is being applied to a new lawn.
What will it accomplish?
Phosphorus-free fertilizer will become readily available in all stores after January 1, 2008. This means that the DIY homeowner is much more likely to buy and apply a lake-friendly product to her lawn. And this will hold true for all home gardeners everywhere in Maine.
But, there’s no enforcement, so how will it work?
We prefer education and change in moderate steps to heavy-handed laws that stir a backlash. The graphic signage piece will be present in every retail store catering to home gardeners. We think it will communicate what excess Phosphorus can do to rivers, streams and lakes.
How will it affect my lawn?
It won’t, unless you just happen to be working with the 5% of Maine soils that lack Phosphorus. That’s right! 95% of Maine soils already have enough Phosphorus to grow healthy turf. Homeowners can “free up” Phosphorus tied to acidic soil by liming, a simple, inexpensive process that won’t harm lakes.
Is that all?
No, the bill also contained provisions for the DEP to investigate the role of buffers in protecting and improving lake water quality. Don Witherill of the Maine DEP will assess the effectiveness Maine’s current regulations and report to the legislature next year. He’ll conduct a roundtable discussion on buffers and other topics at our ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON JUNE 23. If you’ve got an opinion about buffers and lake protection, be sure to attend and tell him about it.Fertilizer Facts - How Fertilizer Affects Our Lake
Ice-out Dates:
Ice Out Dates from Richard Harvey (updated May 2008)
Ice Safety - Don’t be thick on ice; be safe!
Ice Safety - Thickness and Windchill information
Watershed Info on our Lake:
Watershed Review by students of Colby College
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