According to lake level regulators, water levels on Sebago Lake were a couple inches above “full pond” this week.
The lake was scheduled to reach its target high level on May 1 in accordance with the lake’s water management plan, but heavy rains raised the water a few days early. With more rain expected, Sappi Fine Paper, who manages the lake levels, has opened all five of its dams on the Presumpscot River releasing 190,000 cubic feet of water per minute out of Sebago lake. The Presumpscot is the only outlet of Sebago Lake.
The water level has been a topic of debate between Sappi Fine Paper and environmental agencies. The current lake level management plan is a compromise between the paper company and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) aimed at raising the lake to 266.65 feet above sea level no sooner than May 1 and dropping it to a level of 262.65 feet on November 1. Dana Murch of the DEP said that the current high water levels are “not necessarily an environmental concern unless they continue for long periods of time.” Sustained high water levels, coupled with harsh winds, could lead to shoreline erosion, he said.
The Sappi Fine Paper Company, on the other hand, owns five hydroelectric dams on the Presumpscot River. Sappi manages the water levels by releasing the water through these dams that create power for their company. It is therefore ideal for the company to let only enough water down the Presumpscot that can pass through the dam’s turbines. Since the turbines have a capacity of 50,000 cubic feet per minute, 140,000 cubic feet of water is currently flowing unused over the existing river bed into the Presumpscot.
This overflow, while it is wasted water, allows the water to drop to levels dictated by the lake level management plan as well as keeping Sebago Lake no higher than the stakeholders have agreed to. The level will continue to drop from May until November 1 when the lake is targeted to reach its seasonal low mark. Regardless of the lake’s height, Tom Howard of Sappi Fine Paper says that they “intently watch the water levels this time of year.”
Panther Run in Raymond is flooding over its banks because of Sebago Lake being above “full pond.”
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