DEP/VLMP REPORT ON LITTLE SEBAGO 2009 IS IN

I RECEIVED THE WATER QUALITY REPORT DETAILING THE CONDITION OF LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE IN EARLY MAY. THE REPORT IS THE RESULT OF DATA COLLECTED IN THE SUMMER OF 2009 AND COMPARED TO DATA COLLECTED SINCE 1989 TO FORM A TREND PATTERN OF LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE.
ALTHOUGH RECORD SETTING RAINFALL IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 2009 HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE CLEARITY OF THE LAKE IT WAS CONSISTANT WITH THE MAJORITY OF MAINE LAKES. THE HOMEOWNERS OF LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF PLANTING BUFFER STRIPS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AND THE PHOSPHORUS ABSORBTION BUFFERS ARE KEEPING LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE FREE FROM THE ALGAE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH UNRESTRICTED RUNOFF OVER DEVELOPED LAND.
THE BEST THING THAT CAN BE SAID OF LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE IS THAT IT IS "STABLE", OTHER THAN UNCONTROLABLE WEATHER RELATED ISSUES ALL IMPORTANT INDICATORS SHOW NO MOVEMENT FROM THE ABOVE AVERAGE WATER QUALITY THAT HAS BEEN THE LAKE HISTORY.
CLAIRTY (SEECHI) READINGS FOR MAINE LAKES AVERAGED 4.81 METERS IN 2009, LITTLE SEBAGO LAKE AVERAGED 5.5 METERS. ( LOWER BASIN WINDHAM 5.5, MIDDLE BASIN 6.3, AND NORTH BASIN GRAY 3.7) CLARITY IS RESTRICTED BY ALGAE IN THE WATER. THE DEEPER THE CLARITY, THE LESS ALGAE.
OXYGEN DATA COLLECTED IN 2009 IS CONSISTANT WITH PAST YEARS. SURFACE READINGS ARE IN THE 10PPM RANGE AND HOLD THROUGH AN ESTABLISHED THERMOCLINE, ABOUT 6 METERS DEEP. BEYOND 6 METERS OXYGEN DROPS TO ABOUT 2 PPM AT THE BOTTOM. A FULL DETAILED REPORT WILL BE GIVEN AT THE JULY 2010 MEETING AT AIMHI.