Events in the coming months
The following items have been forwarded to
us and we have tried to keep them in one place. For more information
contact the person indicated in the calendar item. If that isn't us,
we aren't going to be able to provide you much more information that
is included here.
Need Help fixing your private gravel road?
Most private
gravel roads need repair every spring. Owners/users need to bring in
loads of gravel to replace what washed away over the winter and during
spring rains. Where does that gravel go? Some folks think it stays
in the ditches but it washes out of those as well, straight to the
nearest brook, stream and lake.
According to
Wendy Garland with DEP, “Year after year MDEP assists local
associations with watershed surveys documenting pollution sites in
lake watersheds, and year after year the biggest, most common problems
are related to roads. If we are going to improve or protect the water
quality of our lakes, we need to address erosion issues from our
roads.”
Some of the most
challenging roads to fix are those that are privately owned with or
without a road association. “The ones without a road association can
be particularly problematic as they don’t have a formal organization
to help raise funds to get the needed work done”, adds Kristin
Feindel, also of the DEP. This is where the
Guide to Forming Road Associations can help.
While both
Garland and Feindel say it is not hard to form a road association,
they admit it takes time and commitment. To make the job easier, DEP,
with the help of the local Soil & Water Conservation Districts, will
be offering workshops introducing the Guide at various locations
around the state. To determine the workshop locations DEP is
asking interested residents of private roads to contact Sue Miles at
MDEP, 207-764-0477 or
sue.miles@Maine.gov and provide basic information. As Garland
explains “We will look to hold the workshops where there is strong
interest and schedule the workshops to maximize the number of roads we
can assist.” Workshop
locations will be posted on
www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/training/index.htm
The Guide and
appendices can be found on DEP’s web site. Look for the link to Camp
Roads at
www.MaineDEP.com.
The
single largest pollutant to Maine lakes is soil and the greatest
source is private unpaved roads. Is your road one of them? Learn
what you can do to ensure your road isn’t harming your lake visit
www.MaineDEP.com.
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