Lake Info
This page is about Worromontogus Lake, including historical facts, safety tips, and other important information. In this page you can find:
ICE OUT TOGUS POND April15th 2011
MARCH 2ND 2011 Joint committee on ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Discussion on Bill LD 252 Room 216 at 1PM Contact Maggie Shannon Executive Director of Maine Cola for more information. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT BILL TO SUPPORT.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_125th/billtexts/HP020501.asp
MARCH 17TH 2011 LAST DAY TO ORDER BUFFER PLANTINGS from Kennebec Soil and Water Conservation District. Go to their web site www.kcswed.org for plant list and prices.
MAINE MILFOIL SUMMIT April 1st,2011.
Maine DEP Commissioner Daryl Brown will be keynote speaker. More information will follow soon.
MAINE VOLUNTEER LAKE MONITOR PROGRAM
Several levels of workshops starting in March.
March 28th Advanced HOW TO LEAD IPP PLANT PADDLE
April 30th VIEW SCOPE CLINIC 9am to 3pm. Contact christine@mainevlmp.org to register
MAINE CONGRESS OF LAKES ASSOCIATIONS.
Annual Conference June 25th 2011. Colby College, Waterville, Me
MAINE VOLUNTEER LAKES MONITORING PROGRAM 2011 Schedule of training workshops starting in April 2011. FMI go to their web site. vlmp@mainevlmp.org MAINE LAKE CONFERENCE July 31st 2011
JANUARY 2011 PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLETE THIS SURVEY
Hi folks,
Would you please take a few minutes and help us with our Natural Resource Priority Survey.
This is a quick snapshot focused on Kennebec County.
Results of the survey will help us in our effort to create an assessment of Kennebec County’s Natural Resource issues and identify priorities for those doing conservation work. The report is being prepared for the Natural Resources Conservation Service here in Maine. Each SWCD is doing a local report for use of NRCS and others. This survey is fairly brief and will help us prepare some broader feedback in preparation of a public meeting scheduled in early February.
Click here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7QJZPX6 and you will be dropped into the 10 question survey. A link to this survey is also at our website http://www.kcswcd.org and can be accessed there. If you think others would be willing to provide us their ideas, please forward this e-mail to them or have them go to our website.
Visit alewifeharvesters.org to see a tribute to Dr. Melissa Laser
Information about the annual fish stocking report
February 1, 2010 Worromontogus lake Association By-Laws wlaby-lawsfebruary2010
1936 to1998 Ice Out Dates from Ken Harvey ice-out-1936 to 1998
1999 to 2010 Ice Out Dates from Dick Harvey ice-out-24
(Feb 2009) Dam Protocol
(Jan 2009) Public Comments and DEP Responses 12-30-08
(Jan 2009) Camp Road 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
Annual Fish Stocking Report
http://maine.gov/ifw/fishing/reports/stocking/index.htm
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 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
Togus Watershed Survey Report by KCSWCD
Togus Pond Phosphorus Control Action Plan (Maine DEP)
Dam Protocol
Spillway Diagram
The main dam on the Togus system is located at the south end of Lower Togus pond, just north of the intersection of of routes 17 and 226 in Chelsea. It is owned by WLA and is the only gated or controlled outlet on the ponds, with a maximum discharge reported at 390 cubic feet per second. The main gateway/spillway is a 25′ long concrete barrier with an upper surface that is about 7′ above the level of the average downstream tailwaters; this spillway represents the lowest desireable pond water level in most situations. The upper surface of a 9″ thick fixed concrete walkway is 32″ above the spillway. This walkway surface represents the “flood” stage of the pond, and serves as our reference “datum”; all water level measurements are given as a distance below the top of the walkway. The free space between these two fixed concrete barriers allows placement of 12″ boards to retain water during dry times of the year. These boards are the major means of water level control on the ponds, allowing a 12″ adjustment to what would otherwise be an unmanaged water level.
A secondary gateway is located at a penstock several feet from the main spillway. This gateway utilizes a number of 6” X 6” stoplogs, each 6’ long, that allow a more precise flow of water to a conduit at the base of the dam, presumably for the original purpose of driving long-removed mill machinery. The stoplogs run in channels extending downward almost to the level of the tailwaters. The secondary gateway will not discharge as much water as the primary in most circumstances, but can be employed to draw down the ponds during low-flow periods for purposes of dam maintenance, etc.; it was a failure at this secondary gateway that resulted in a drop in water level of several feet in 2000. Because there is always a small amount of leakage at these stoplogs some downstream flow is maintained even when pond water levels fall below the spillway level during prolonged dry periods.
The “back dam” is an uncontrolled (ungated) rock/earthen dam located on an undeveloped lobe on the southeast end of Lower Togus Pond. It is about 100’ long and 5’ high. This dam is currently owned by a local construction company. Unlike the primary dam the trees and bushes that have taken root on the back dam are probably beneficial, serving to hold it together. It is a leaky dam, forming a small stream that flows southward before joining Togus Stream below Route 17. Since it’s crest is near datum on the main dam the back dam would serve as a safety spillway during extreme flood events. Damage to or loss of the back dam would lower the pond water levels by up to five feet.
Spillway viewed from downstream
State and municipal laws can be utilized to address individual lake/pond water levels, but in most cases control of the water levels is left to the owner/operator of the dam. DEP provides guidance on water levels at www.maine/dep/blwq/doclake/waterlevel.htm , and will, upon petition, hold a public hearing and ultimately issue an order establishing a water level regime based on potential impacts to safety, access, fish and wildlife habitat, erosion, and water supplies.
On the Togus ponds, WLA management goals have targeted the highest water levels of the year for the period following spring runoff; water levels at this time may approach datum (i.e. “0″ inches) though we try to stay a few inches below this. While the water levels have risen ABOVE datum in recent memory during extreme flood events (e.g. the flood of ’87) this presents an undesireable situation to the integrity of the dam and also floods a few backyards and low cellars on the ponds. During an average year the water level would slowly drop from a high in March-April of 8″-or-so below datum through the summer. The three main spillway boards would be placed at some time during the summer, though one or all might be removed temporarily in anticipation of heavy rain. Our goal during the spring/summer/early-fall is to maintain a fairly steady, slowly dropping water level throughout these seasons, but without constantly removing-replacing boards every time rain is forecast. Finally, sometime in October all three of the spillway boards are removed to allow the water levels to drop to what should be the lowest levels of the year prior to ice forming; this helps to prevent shoreline ice damage as well as provide for additional storage before the next years’ spring runoff. This 32″ maximum range is what we currently work with, and in normal years the working range is closer to 24″ between seasonal high/low waters. A typical season, then, might see water levels within a few inches either side of 8″ below datum in March-April, dropping to 18″ b.d. in June-July and 28″ b.d. through the fall.
We suspect that water levels measured at the dam are USUALLY lower than the static water level on Togus Pond (upper), sometimes by several inches, because of the lag time involved as the flow finds its way to the outlet. Due to the nature of the drainage, during extremely heavy rain events the flow reverses and water floods northward from Lower Togus Pond into Togus – - in this situation water level measured at the dam would be expected to be slightly higher than at Togus. We haven’t as yet established a water level measuring location on Togus Lake that is correlated to the dam and also accessible to anyone that is interested in recording the level at any given time; perhaps a metering stick can be placed at the WLA boat launch or near Route 105 at some point.
Though not without occasional management gliches and hiccups the Togus ponds have so far avoided the water level controversies that have plagued some lakes and ponds in Maine. Water level maintenance can become a pretty contentious issue. Anyone who has concerns that the water level is either too high or low at any particular time should first confirm whether it is within the target range given above; on rare occasion we may lower the water levels a little more or a little earlier than usual for road or dam maintenance purposes, and hope that folks will understand our reasoning on this. We understand that some properties are low, and so their owners would prefer a lower average water level; other property owners lament the weedy mudflats that stand between their dock and the deep beyond, and so prefer higher levels. We can’t please everyone all the time, but we’ll try to keep the discontent to a minimum as best we can. While the Dam Comittee chairman – - or any of the Association officers – - can be contacted with concerns or comments regarding water levels, the WLA web-site “forum” might also serve as a useful place to float ideas or to vent.
Jon Andrews
