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“to protect and enhance Maine's soil and water resources by providing educational programs, conservation information and technical assistance to municipalities, schools, landowners and residents of Kennebec County." |
Sheepscot West Branch NPS Control & Habitat Improvement - Phase 3 319 ProjectSummary: The project is aimed at addressing water quality impairment simultaneously on three fronts: The project activities on each of these fronts are: 1) On-the-Ground Conservation: correct sedimentation problems directly through installation of BMPs at priority sites, 2) Outreach and Training: educate town governments and landowners on cost-effective ways to improve water quality as well as the regulatory issues around road and culvert repair, and 3) Environmental Monitoring: continuation of an established water quality monitoring program in the West Branch. The West Branch encompasses four towns: Palermo, Windsor, China, and Whitefield. This project is Phase 3 of the project and builds on the work done in the watershed during Phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 will focus on the remaining high and medium priority road site problems in the watershed, with at least 15 more sites being addressed during this phase. The road sites include culvert armoring and replacement, settling basin construction, excess shoulder material removal, ditch installation and other projects. The project is designed to yield multiple, linked benefits to the environmental quality of the watershed and ability of communities to respond to water quality threats. .
Project Duration: Spring 2004 to Fall of 2007 The project was completed in the late fall of 2007. Funding Source: Clean Water Act Section 319 (administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection)
*many of these maps were produced by the SVCA Partners and other local sources of information for the East Pond Watershed: ü Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association (SVCA) ü Sheepscot River Watershed Council ü Atlantic Salmon Commission ü Trout Unlimited ü Town of Windsor ü Town of China ü Town of Palermo ü Waldo Soil & Water Conservation District ü Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District
Watershed Information: The West Branch of the Sheepscot River Watershed is approximately 50 square miles (32,512 acres) and is located in the towns of China, Palermo, Whitefield and Windsor in Kennebec, Waldo, and Lincoln Counties. The watershed is primarily rural with a few areas of concentrated residential development. The West Branch is included on three lists: the Category 1 Central Coastal Basin list; the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) phosphorus abatement list and DEP's Nonpoint Source (NPS) Priority Watersheds list. The West Branch of the Sheepscot River has been given high priority by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for TMDL work because of NPS pollution problems. Prescott Pond is the headwater of the West Branch watershed, located in Palermo. A second branch of the upper watershed begins in a wetland on the Albion/Palermo line. The river flows about 4 miles before entering Branch Pond. Branch Pond is a run of the river pond about two miles long with a dam on the outlet. From the outlet of Branch Pond, the river flows approximately 14 miles to the junction of the main stem of the Sheepscot River in Whitefield. Branch Pond is the major impoundment in the watershed. There are four smaller named ponds including Prescott Pond mentioned above, Moody, Savade and Fox Ponds. In addition, there are five major tributary streams, including Dearborn, Choate, Wingood, Hewitt, and Meadow Brooks and several smaller tributaries. The largest land use in the watershed according to the 1995 CCAP Satellite Imagery is forestry with 70% of the watershed in this land use category. Other land uses include agriculture and grassland (18%), wetland and water (8%), and developed areas (4%).The entire Sheepscot watershed, and in particular the West Branch, has historically supported a wild population of Atlantic salmon. In recent years there has been a decline in spawning salmon. Atlantic salmon habitat is affected by NPS pollution, such as sediment-laden runoff from roads and crossings, which impact water quality and cause embedded substrate. The Town of China has a SPO-compliant Comprehensive Plan, as does Palermo. The Towns of Whitefield and Windsor are currently updating their Comprehensive Plans.
For more information on this project contact: John Blais KCSWCD 21 Enterprise Drive, Suite #1 Augusta, ME 04330 207-622-7847 ext. 3 |
