Lincolnville Comprehensive Plan
Inventory: Water Resources

Lincolnville's Watersheds

*DEP has divided Megunticook into two watershed basins.
Source: Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection

The table above illustrates several important points. First is the inter-connectedness of these watersheds to a number of towns in the Mid-Coast region. Surprisingly, they are shared with 10 other Mid-Coast communities. For example, the Tilden Pond watershed covers parts of Belfast, Belmont, Lincolnville, Northport and Searsmont. Land-use decisions made in one town can have far-reaching effects on the water quality of a pond in a neighboring community.

The second fact that bears close examination is that lake watersheds cover almost half of Lincolnville's 25,000 acres. Precipitation in the remaining area flows into rivers and streams running directly into the ocean. Land use activities within these watersheds can, and do, have far-reaching implications on the water quality of individual lakes.

Water Quality of Lakes and Ponds: The following section begins with a general overview of water quality, as defmed by the State Department of Environmental Protection, and concludes with a discussion of the water quality for the lakes and ponds located entirely or partially within Lincolnville. Megunticook Lake and Norton, Coleman, Pitcher, Moody and Levenseller ponds are discussed in narrative form and have their vital statistics outlined in a table.

The Water Quality Bureau within the Maine DEP has developed a profile on many of the lakes in Maine, including all those located within Lincolnville. Water quality categories were developed for use in the Phosphorus Control Program, administered by the Bureau.

Water quality was defined in six categories ranging from "Outstanding" to "Poor/Non Restorable". An outstanding lake is very clear, with a Secchi Disk visibility of over 30 feet. These lakes have very low algae levels and phosphorus concentrations in the 2-5 ppb (parts per billion) range. At the other end of the scale, a poor non-restorable lake would have poor visibility and a history of extreme algae blooms in the summer.

Lincolnville's lakes and ponds fall in the mid-range between these two extremes. Levenseller and Pitcher Ponds are defined as "Moderately/Stable" water bodies. They have Secchi Disk readings in the 10-20 feet range, low algal levels and phosphorus concentrations of 5-10 ppb. These ponds are not regarded as being at high risk for developing algae blooms.

Lincolnville's other lakes and ponds (Megunticook, Coleman, Moody and Norton) are all in the "Moderate/Sensitive" category. Although clarity and algae counts are almost the same as for the the "Moderate/Stable" ponds, these water bodies have a high potential for developing algae blooms because of the depletion of dissolved oxygen and seasonal fluctuations in algae and nutrient levels.

Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake: Although Norton Pond occupies only 133 acres, it drains an area of more than 5,000 acres. Many people consider Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake a series of long fragile ponds. Water is flushed through Norton Pond more than four times a year, quad-ruple the flush rate of Coleman Pond. The water level of Norton and Megunticook rose substantially in the mid-1800s when owners of the woolen mills damned the Megunticook River near Molyneaux Road in Camden. A total of 87 cottages are located along the shores of Norton Pond, many very close to the water. Approximately 10% of the cottages are occupied year-round.

Megunticook Lake drains more than 27 square miles in Camden, Hope and Lincolnville. Approximately one-third of the lake surface is in Camden, a small wedge in Hope, and the remaining 545 acres are in Lincolnville. There are 73 homes and cottages located along the Lincolnville shoreline. Approximately 21% are year-round. The Lake also receives the water flushed from Norton Pond. In recent years, boats of all types and sizes have proliferated on the Lake.

The robust real estate market during most of the 1980s resulted in a sub-stantial number of building permits being issued for new structures, and the renovation and winterization of many older cottages on both Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake.

The Pond and Lake support a variety of fish, including large and small mouth bass, horn pout, pike, salmon and trout. Fishing is a popular year-round sport. The lakes are stocked twice a year by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in cooperation with local conservation organizations.

Coleman Pond: This Pond, situated at 153 feet above sea level, drains an area more than 1200 acres, all within Lincolnville. Although it has a surface area of 223 acres, its mean depth is only 14 feet. Of the 62 structures on Coleman Pond, approximately 29% are year-round. It has a flush rate slightly greater than once a year, making this Pond very susceptible to algae growth.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife manages Coleman Pond as a warm water fishery supporting essentially the same warm water species of fish as Megunticook Lake and Norton Pond. Coleman Pond, which drains into Black Brook, has historically supported a substantial alewife population. A Marine Resources scientist has projected the sustainable annual yield of alewives to Coleman Pond at more than 69,000 pounds. Reaching these figures requires adequate water levels in the Ducktrap River and its tri-butaries, and unobstructed access to the spawning grounds in the Pond.

The Coleman Pond Association is very concerned about water quality in the Pond. The members have expressed particular concern in the dramatic drop in dissolved oxygen levels in late summer, the result of bacterial breakdown of organic matter.

Pitcher Pond: This serpentine pond stretches for more than two miles in a cleft formed between the towns of Lincolnville and Northport. Its water surface covers 367 acres. Situated at an elevation of 204 feet above sea level, its watershed is located in parts of Lincolnville, Northport and Belfast. It provides one of the three major sources of water to the Ducktrap River. Its water quality indexes are satisfactory, resulting in a rating of Moderate/Stable.

The pond is managed for warmwater species of fish, similar to the other ponds in Lincolnville. At Kendall Brook dam, a fishway has been built to support the Alewife population. The potential Alewife population for the Pitcher Pond area is 165,550 pounds.

At the present time, there are approximately 120 cottages on the pond, 82 of which are located in Lincolnville. As with other shorefront property in the Mid-Coast region, many of these cottages are being converted to three-quarter or year-round use. The cumulative impact of this development could have a deleterious affect on the water quality of the Pond. Another concern of some property owners is the sedimentation being introduced into the Pond from Sucker Brook In Northport. The Pitcher Pond situation graphically illustrates the need for communities to work together on water quality issues.

Moody Pond: This pristine pond and its watershed lie entirely within Lincolnville. The pond has an elevation of 348 feet. With a mean depth of 15 feet and a surface area of 61 acres, it is the smallest pond in town. It drains into Marriners Brook, which flows into Megunticook Lake. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife manages the pond for both warm water and cold-water species of fish. Moody Pond is very special in that it has no developed shorefrontage. At present the shorefront around the pond is owned by four families. In February of 1992 approximately 800 feet of shore frontage was placed in a conservation easement.

The following table illustrates a variety of statistics about the lakes and ponds of Lincolnville. In reviewing this table, please consider the following points:

Source: Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection

Source: Standards for Classification for Lakes and Ponds. 38 MRSA 465-A

The Lakes and Ponds of Lincolnville are some of the most important water resources in the community. Their water quality is fragile. Care must be taken to ensure that further degradation does not occur.

STREAMS AND BROOKS:

One of the most important natural resources of Lincolnville is the network of small streams which flow to the wetlands and ponds in town.

Megunticook and Norton Pond Tributaries: Five streams in Lincolnville drain a substantial portion of the 9,000 acres of this watershed located in Lincolnville. Clockwise from the West they are: Baird, Wiley, Marriner, Meservey and Brackett Brooks. All of these brooks have their origin in the ring of hills surrounding the Lake. Most have a fairly steep gradient for a distance of 1.5 to 3 miles before leveling off in lowlands. With high levels of dissolved oxygen and cool water temperatures, they provide an excellent habitat for Eastern brook trout. This sensitive fish is an accepted indicator of high water quality. The maintenance of these brooks as sources of clear, cool, highly-oxygenated water is critical to the water quality of Megunti-cook Lake.

Meservey Brook, the largest of these five tributaries, deserves special men-tion. It actually consists of eight lesser tributaries, which drain the heart of Lincolnville. An indication of the size of the drainage area can be witnessed at Pond Bridge during periods of very heavy rains. It has been reported that flow from this stream has coursed over the roadway, at the ridge, to a depth of 18 inches. The heart of this system is a 500 acre wetland known locally as “The Meadow,” which stretches from the “Center” to Coleman Pond. It is the largest Resource Conservation District in Town. It acts as a huge sponge during times of flooding, helping to stabillze the entire Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake system. Collectively, Meservey Brook and its tributaries run for almost 12 1/2 miles.

In conclusion, these five tributaries and their smaller feeder streams are an integral part of the Megunticook Lake and Norton Pond watersheds. It is imperative that their water quality remain high.

Ducktrap River and Tributaries: Tucker, Kendall and Black Brooks are the main tributaries of Ducktrap River. They have a combined length of 8 3/4 miles. Much of this watershed is still in a very wild state, providing signi-ficant habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. The Ducktrap river water-shed drains a substantial portion of Lincolnville. Waters of the Ducktrap river are classified by the Department of Environmental Protection as AA. This is the highest classification by the State.

Ocean Flowing Brooks: Two small brooks drain directly into the ocean. Frohock Brook drains the area between Frohock Mountain and Pendleton Hill, running almost parallel to Route 173. Just before reaching Route 1, it broadens out into a high salt marsh vegetated primarily with Spartina patens, salt meadow grass. The Brook occasionally has runs of sea-run brook trout.

Great Brook, also known as Clay Brook, drains the South side of Bald Rock and Garey Mountain. It also has occasional runs of sea-run brook trout.

Conclusion: The streams and brooks of Lincolnville serve as the arterial lifelines to our lakes and ponds delivering clean, cool oxygenated water. The 1991 Lincolnville Shoreland Zoning Ordinance took an important first step in recognizing and safeguarding the value of these brooks. It is, however, only a first step. Water quality from each brook should be tested, and thereafter used as a benchmark for future periodic tests. Point sources of pollution and erosion should be identified and cleaned up. Reasonable performance standards should be drafted and observed by local boards entrusted with land use decisions.

SAND & GRAVEL AQUIFERS:

As the last Ice Age retreated, large deposits of unconsolidated material were left by glacial action. This overburden consists of till, sand, gravels and clays. The sand and gravels are derived from non-calcareous, crystalline bedrock. Where the overburden is sand and gravel, the possibility for substantial groundwater deposits exists.

The Maine Geological Survey has mapped sand and gravel aquifers in identifying three sand and gravel aquifers in the northern corner of Lincoinville. As one would expect, all the identified sites coincide with old sand and gravel pits.

Site #14 is located near the northern end of Pitcher Pond and straddles Route 52. Site #15 borders the Ducktrap River and is located on the Northwesterly side of Route 52. The third identified sand and gravel aquifer is located to the northwest of Clark’s Corner between Green Acre Road and Tucker Brook.

Information from the Maine Geological Survey indicates that the yield from sites #14 and #15 is greater than 50 gallons per minute. It is important to note that the close proximity of Site #14 to Pitcher Pond is a good indication of a hydrological connection between the Pond and that aquifer. Where glacial sand and gravel deposits are exposed to the ground surface, recharge to the ground may be as high as 59% of the precipitation falling to earth.

In conclusion, if, in the future, a part of Lincolnville should ever need a community ground water supply, these aquifers are very likely candidates.

GROUND WATER

One of the most important water resources in Lincolnville is its ground water. Simply defined, ground water is all water found beneath the land surface. Ground water is stored in both the overburden and bedrock. Overburden consists of either till (a heterogeneous mixture of clay, stone, sand and gravel) or in glaciofluvial deposits (sand and gravel). The suficial geology map for Lincolnville shows overburden depth ranges from 0, where the bedrock protrudes from the ground, to greater than 50 feet in some areas.

Bedrock in the Lincolnville area consists primarily of igneous rocks (including granite, diorites and pegnatites) and metamorphic rocks (including schist, gneiss quartzite and argillite). Over millions of years the actions of volcanic activity, glaciation and extreme temperature and pressure have caused structural deformation to these rocks, resulting in high fracture areas. Well yields in bedrock depend on the permeability of the fractured rock, as well as the amount of water available from the overburden. The Division of Hydrogeology within the Maine Geological Survey has mapped a variety of hydrologic features in Waldo County. An examination of these maps resulted in the following observations: Depths of bedrock wells in Lincolnville range from under 100 feet to over 400 feet, with the vast majority of wells in the 100-300 feet range. The yield of bedrock wells ranges from less than one gallon per minute to more than 100 gpm. High yield zones in bedrock may follow major fault lines.

With the exception of some cottage owners taking their water from lakes and ponds, almost every household, business, school and and other public facility takes its water from the ground. It is imperative that this most valuable of water resources be protected.

Special Ground Water Issues: Ground water is particularly susceptible to contamination. In various places in the State of Maine, a variety of organic and inorganic compounds have infiltrated into the ground water, making it unfit for human consumption. Lincolnville has had some of these problems.

Salt Pile Contamination: The Lincolnville salt and sand pile is located on the south side of Rte. 235. Prior to construction of the new structure, the salt and sand pile was stored in the open. The rain and snow washing down through the pile leached the calcium chloride into the ground. Test pits dug around the salt pile suggest that the plume of sodium chloride is moving east, away from the road. The Town Office and the School both have filtration systems to deal with a high salt content in their water. In 1989, the town bought the Brown residence, located next to the school, as part of an out-of-court settlement over the issue of alleged salt contami-nation of a well.

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