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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
An Ounce of Preventionby Peter Kallin I have been discussing Mother Nature's watershed design and the importance of trees and vegetated buffers in protecting lakes and streams. This week I'm going to discuss two human programs designed to help protect watersheds based on Mother Nature's principles: Maine DEP's LakeSmart Program and the BRCA Youth Conservation Corps. These programs are proactive in the sense that they try to prevent degradation rather than remediating badly damaged ecosystems. There is an old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." In terms of managing lake watersheds the expression should be "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure." Keeping pollutants out of the water in the first place is much easier and cheaper than repairing the damage after the fact. Roads, camps, and houses built near the lakes disrupt Mother Nature's system and can bypass some of her protective buffer systems. Through normal every day activities, people introduce phosphorus and other contaminants into the watershed including road dust, fertilizers, pet waste, soaps, garbage, detergents, eroded soil, oil and grease from vehicles, septic effluent, grass clippings, raked leaves, and others too numerous to mention. Additionally, the creation of impervious surfaces such as roofs, driveways, and roads provides areas where stormwater runoff is concentrated and picks up speed while it rolls downhill. The kinetic energy of the flowing water exacerbates the situation by increasing erosion and transporting all the extra pollutants quickly down hill toward the lake. This can potentially increase the pollutant load to the lake a hundredfold or more compared to an equivalent area of undeveloped forest. With smart design and a few simple management practices, the vast majority of this increased pollutant load can be prevented from reaching the lake. Use common sense and apply a simple principles aimed at preventing pollution in the first place, such as dispersing and slowing the flow of water as much as possible and taking advantage of any opportunities to infiltrate (soak into the ground) or filter (run through a vegetated buffer area) the runoff before it reaches the lake. But above all, don't dump anything directly into the lake. To prevent pollution, make sure simple things like routine maintenance on your septic system or vehicles gets done. Don't drive around with oil leaks in your car or boat. A few drops of oil can contaminate hundreds of gallons of water. And it doesn't have to actually land in the water — anything that lands on the pavement will wash off with the first good rain. Upgrade your old two-stroke outboard to a newer four-stroke model. Don't fill your gas tanks in the boat — wherever possible, take them out, fill them carefully away from the water and carry them back to the boat. Inspect your septic system yearly and pump the tank every two to five years. Systems 20 years of age and older should be inspected by a specialist. Use phosphorus-free cleaners and detergents. Stagger laundry loads. Minimize water use. Don't put toxics or grease down the drain. Keep your property functioning as much like Mother Nature's system as possible. Don't let water run straight down your driveway toward the lake. Use berms, rubber razors, or simply crown the road to divert the water off into the woods. Don't let runoff concentrate and pick up speed. Avoid bare soil — don't rake up the leaves and pine needles under the trees. Leave the natural duff layer in place. Don't cut your grass to the water's edge and especially don't dump the clipping in the water. Maintain a good vegetated buffer along the waters edge. Mulch your walking paths and water access points to prevent erosion. If you want some assistance, call Clark Freeman at the BRCA Another excellent program is LakeSmart, sponsored by Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Most of the lake associations in our watershed are participating in this program, which recognizes property owners who adopt lake-friendly practices on their properties. This program mimics Mother Nature's methods and focuses on stabilizing eroding areas, reducing the use of chemicals, diverting rainwater into vegetated areas, and minimizing lawns and other impervious areas. Properties are evaluated in four areas: driveways and parking areas; structures and septic systems; lawns, recreation areas, and footpaths; and shorefront and beach areas. If the property passes in all four areas, the property is certified "LakeSmart," and the owner receives a "LakeSmart Award-Living Lightly on the Land for the Sake of Our Lake" sign to be displayed. Hopefully you have noticed some of these signs and now you understand the importance. If you would like to participate, please call our office at Updated: July 1, 2011 Peter Kallin is Executive Director of the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA). He can be contacted at | ||