A proposal under review by a federal agency brings good news for Sebago Lake, a regional asset as both an attraction for tourists and a source of drinking water. Now, that plan has the backing of an important stakeholder: the Portland Water District.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing a 30-year management proposal for the Eel Weir Dam, the lake’s lone outlet, which is controlled by Sappi Fine Paper in Westbrook. Under the present agreement, signed in 1986, the water is kept at historically high levels, which many lake advocates say has led to increased erosion and ruined Sebago’s beaches.

The issue came into sharp focus late last summer, when Tropical Storm Irene devastated Sebago Lake State Park. Members of a local advocacy group blamed the damage on the years of high water levels.

“You’ve had erosion eating away at the sand at that beach for years now, and it’s a simple case that when the high winds came, they couldn’t stand up,” said Roger Wheeler, a Sebago resident and president of Friends of Sebago Lake. “And this is exactly what we’ve been warning them about.”

The management of Sebago Lake has been a sticky issue, however, with a number of major players involved, each with their own point of view.

“It falls to this,” Ron Lovaglio, commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation from 1995 to 2003, said last year, following the storm. “There are those who want low levels to bring back the beaches, marinas want high water levels, the Portland Water District wants clear water and Sappi Fine Paper has some historic rights to the water for energy generation. So there is definitely some conflict there.”

But the water district has found that the proposal under consideration would not impact water quality, and has given the plan its approval.

“Under their proposed [Lake Level Management Plan], S.D. Warren will maintain a constant outflow from the dam and only increase or decrease outflow if the lake gets very high or very low. This would more closely mimic a natural, undammed lake. Lake levels would be higher when it rains a lot and lower when it doesn’t,” the water district wrote in its 2012 “State of the Lake” report. “The Portland Water District supports the proposed [Lake Level Management Plan] because there is no evidence that it would negatively impact lake water quality and because it would release more oxygen-rich water to the Presumpscot River during the summer months when the river can experience low oxygen levels.”

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will continue to review the proposal, with a decision expected later this year. The agency holds sway over the issue because the dam creates energy, but locally the priority should be placed first on the lake’s future as a drinking water source and second as one of Maine’s great recreational spots, a draw for both tourists and residents.

Allowing the lake to naturally ebb and flow would help protect the shoreline and possibly return some of what has been lost through the years, taking care of the second priority. Now that the water district, historically and rightfully protective of the lake’s water quality, has signed off the plan, it looks like the proposal covers the first priority, as well.

Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.

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