For the entire month of March, Collins Pond Improvement Association has been selected by store leadership at Hannaford’s North Windham to receive a $1 donation from every purchase of the $2.50 Community Bag. This is a great way to broaden awareness and help our cause.
The Community Bag Program facilitates community support with the goal of making a difference where shoppers live and work. Over $2.2 million has been donated to more than 6,000 nonprofit organizations since the program launched in October 2015.
Let’s get started! Share the news with friends and family. Call, send emails, and post on social media. The more people who purchase the Community Bag in March, the greater the donation we will receive from Hannaford!
For all of January every GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag purchased at Shaw’s earns us $1!
We are so excited to share that Collins Pond Improvement Association has been selected to benefit from the Shaw’s GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program, which makes it easy for customers to contribute to their local communities.
For the month of January, whenever a $3.00 GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag is purchased at the Shaw’s located at 770 Roosevelt Trail, Windham, $1 will be donated to Collins Pond Improvement Association. This is a great way to broaden awareness and help our cause.
Let’s get started! Share the news with friends and family. Call, send emails and post on social media. The more people who purchase the GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag in January, the more we can raise!
Little Sebago Lake has started the state-mandated annual lake level draw down today. Their lake level has to be slowly drawn down to a winter level that was set by the State of Maine in 1984. To accommodate this extra volume of water, the Collins Pond dam was fully opened today. Our lake level will drop today but may slowly increase as Little Sebago Lake gradually increases the amount their dam is open by the end of this week. If you want to read more about why this is happening you can copy and past this link that will take you to the Little Sebago Lake web page. https://littlesebagolake.com/current-water-level/
Adult zebra mussels are ¾-1 ½ inches in length. At the larval stage (which is most likely to be transported), zebra mussels are microscopic.
Zebra Mussel Infestations in Nearby New Brunswick and Quebec Waters Pose a Threat
Invasive Zebra mussels have been found within the Saint John River drainage in both Quebec and New Brunswick, with the nearest visual confirmations less than 30 miles away from the Maine/Canada border and even closer potential infestations in the Madawaska River.
This places the Saint John River at high risk for infestation and as a potential source for transport on watercraft of zebra mussels into other Maine water bodies. Zebra mussels have not yet been confirmed in any water of the state of Maine but represent a high threat level to the health of our waters, fish, and wildlife. Zebra mussel infestations result in irreversible negative impacts on native species and water body systems and are nearly impossible to eradicate once introduced.
Zebra mussels filter and hold a substantial amount of important food and nutrients that native organisms require, negatively impacting all native fish and wildlife in the water body. In addition to significantly impacting our wildlife, and unlike our native mussels, zebra mussels attach to hard surfaces in the water, including watercraft, pipes (which can clog intake/outflow), rocks, docks, and even native mussels. Zebra mussel larvae are microscopic, making it imperative all outdoor enthusiasts use extreme caution to limit the spread.
Help limit the spread of zebra mussels
Always practice standard clean, drain, dry recommendations and laws for watercraft.
CLEAN off visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud from watercraft, motor, trailer, and equipment before leaving water access.
DRAIN all water from watercraft. Maine law requires that prior to entering a waterbody and when preparing to leave launch facilities, boaters must remove or open any devices designed for routine removal/opening (for example, hull drain plugs, bailers, live wells, ballast tanks) to encourage draining of areas containing water (excluding live bait containers). This must be done in a way that does not allow drained water to enter any inland water of the state.
DRY all equipment and watercraft completely before reuse. While they can be removed, washed off, and drained out with best cleaning and draining practices,allowing watercraft and all gear to dry thoroughly between water bodies is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of these microscopic zebra mussel larvae. This drying should occur for multiple days (2-5 days) when possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are invasive zebra mussels?
Zebra mussels are a freshwater invasive mussel originally from Europe and Russia. Unlike plants or other large aquatic invasive species that are easy to spot by eye, zebra mussels are difficult to detect during watercraft inspections because they are microscopic at the larval stage (which is most likely to be transported) and even in the adult stage only reach ¾-1 ½ inches in length. Their shells are yellow and brown with zig zag stripes; however, the pattern can vary quite a bit.
Do we have zebra mussels in Maine?
There are currently no reports or confirmed infestations of zebra mussels in any waters of the state. Zebra mussels have been spreading through the Great Lakes region after transport in ballast waters on large cargo ships from Europe and eventual spread through connected riverine systems. This has led to continual spread through additional overland transport on watercraft into inland waters and western portions of the United States that has not yet reached the northeast to the same degree.
Will zebra mussels eventually establish populations in all Maine waters?
Zebra mussels require certain water chemistry attributes, like high calcium levels, to establish and thrive in a water body. The Department of Environmental Protection conducted a study on many of Maine’s lakes and found that over 90% of lakes they examined had a very low suitability level for zebra mussels based on water chemistry. In riverine systems, flow rates must be slow enough to allow zebra mussel larvae to eventually attach to hard surfaces, and as a result their spread will be naturally limited in certain extents of our rivers & brooks.
Why are zebra mussels so problematic?
Like our native mussels they are filter feeders, which means that they feed by drawing in water and consuming primarily algae. However, zebra mussels are far more effective at filtering than our native mussels and take in and hold a substantial amount of important food & nutrients that native organisms require. Native zooplankton and small fish that depend on that food and nutrient supply decrease in abundance as a result, and in turn there is a cascading negative effect on all native fish and wildlife within the system due to the decreased availability of prey at each level of the food web. Unlike our native mussels, zebra mussels attach to hard surfaces in the water, including watercraft, pipes (which can clog intake/outflow), rocks, docks, and even native mussels.
The link below is for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection web site. Each season we see an increase in algae in our lake that sometime appear similar to balls of cotton candy or just very small, suspended particles. This article reviews the concerns about cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae). Our Volunteer Lake Monitor, Steve Triggs, periodically measures the clarity of the lake water using a Secchi Disk. As algae concentrations increase, the clarity decreases and the Secchi Disk reading decreases. The article talks about performing a “jar test” to help determine if the algae concentration is of concern. I tried this recently and found the water to be clear, but you might want to try it yourself.
Recently we again have seen a large amount of grass floating on the surface of the lake and washing ashore in large clumps. We also saw this several years ago and it is unrelated to the milfoil removal done in early July. You may gather and compost the grass, if it is a problem on your shoreline, the same as you would collect the milfoil that may float ashore.
Recent web-entered water clarity (Secchi) readings for Collins Pond
We will have a DASH boat working on the lake for the next four weeks, June 13th through July 7th. This will be the 9th year that we have hired the crew from New England Milfoil to assist us in our project to control the infestation of hybrid variable leaf Milfoil. This is a non-native invasive plant that will crowd out the native plants and eventually make the lake unusable for swimming, boating and fishing. It is most obvious in the northern end of the lake where the water is shallow, but if you swim in the lower sections of the lake you may notice that your feet will get tangled up in the plants.
While the crew is working we ask you not to approach the boat too closely as a diver will be under the water. They will have a dive flag out as a warning. We do encourage anyone who wants to spend a little time skimming up any plants that get away from crew to come and help, though. You can use a kayak or canoe to pick up plants floating on the surface away from the DASH boat. Put them in a small container or basket and bring them to the DASH boat once the diver is out of the water. The crew will add them to their haul.
Additionally, we have decided to retire our own DASH boat as of this summer due to various reasons so you will not see our volunteer crews on the lake except to help New England Milfoil.
The following is from the Town of Windham’s web site. The Town Council also sent a mailing that arrived in my box today that is addressed to all Town residents. Between the mailing and the various public meetings you should have enough information to make a decision for the referendum vote on June 14, 2022. You can also vote by absentee ballot so make your voice heard.
North Windham Sewer Project Public Meeting
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Please join us to learn more about the June 14, 2022 Referendum vote on the North Windham Sewer Project.
Join us at a PUBLIC MEETING, on May 19, 2022, at the Windham High School Auditorium, to learn more about the June 14, 2022 Referendum question regarding the North Windham Sewer Project.
Why is the Town in partnership with the Portland Water District proposing this solution? Where will the proposed system be installed? How will wastewater be treated and phosphorus and nitrogen reduced? What is the project cost and what funding resources has the Town been awarded?
Windham and the Portland Water District are working together to find a solution aimed at “protecting public health and the environment and promoting sustainable economic and community development.”
The above statement is copied from the Town of Windham web page. Here is the link to take you to more information on the current process:
On Tuesday April 12th, the final agenda item on the Town Council meeting that evening is the North Windham Sewer Project Update. For anyone not following the progress of this project, it is suggested that you follow the above link and review the project documents. The proposal is to build a sewage treatment plant that would be built on Town property across Sposedo Road from the Manchester School. Again from the above link is the following:
Construct a public wastewater system and remove approximately 100 septic systems which will eliminate 22,000 lbs of nitrogen and 3,000 lbs of phosphorous from being discharged into the North Windham aquifer. o Construct over 3-miles of collection and pumping system to connect businesses and residents to the system. o Treat wastewater through an advanced micro-filtration system. This innovative system will allow for direct drip dispersal on site and eliminate pollution. This project will be the first of this magnitude in Maine and can be a model for other communities who lack receiving waters. • A wastewater system will allow for sustainable economic growth. o Current businesses will be able to grow and new businesses can be sited without further degrading the aquifer and utilizing valuable real estate for septic systems. o The new system will encourage higher density business growth and less sprawl.
The wastewater drip dispersal would be distributed under the playing fields at the Manchester School.
There is a public meeting and information session held by the Portland Water District scheduled for April 27th at 6:30pm that will be held at the Manchester School Cafeteria.
Read the available information and plan to come to the public meeting to get more information.
Little Sebago Lake started its State mandated water level draw down for Winter on October 15th. The water release rate may accelerate over the next several weeks due to needed repairs to their release mechanism. As always, we coordinate with the Little Sebago Lake Dam Keeper to prevent our water level from becoming too high. Also, the Collins Pond water level is annually lowered at this time to lessen damage to the shorelines from ice expansion.
