OXFORD — A second two-year watershed protection grant project is underway to protect water quality in Hogan and Whitney ponds by reducing erosion that sweeps sediment and phosphorus into the ponds.
The project is funded in part by a $77,910 Clean Water Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District is leading the project in partnership with the Hogan-Whitney Ponds Association, the town of Oxford and Two Lakes Camping Area. Ecological Instincts, an environmental consulting firm, is serving as project coordinator.
The two ponds share a common watershed but are separated by a 25-40-foot-high esker formed during the most recent continental glacier 12,000 years ago. While both ponds meet state water quality standards, they are listed as “threatened” on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Nonpoint Source Priority Watersheds List due to their sensitivity to NPS pollution.
NPS pollution includes diffuse sources of pollutants from stormwater runoff, soil erosion, septic systems, fertilizers and other pollution related to development in the watershed.
Eroded soil is one of the greatest sources of NPS pollution, since it carries phosphorus into lakes and streams. Phosphorus is a key nutrient on which algae feeds, and too much phosphorus in a waterbody increases the risk of having an algal bloom.
The grant’s on-the-ground impact will be doubled by leveraging additional funding from residential and commercial property owners, Hogan-Whitney Ponds Association, and the town of Oxford through cash and an in-kind match, and cost-share grants that match up to 50% of the cost of each project.
The aim is to mitigate stormwater runoff and erosion at 30 sites, including 15 larger NPS sites like town roads and commercial campgrounds, and 15 smaller shoreline residential projects. Cost-share grants and assistance are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Interested landowners can contact Bruce Wilson at bruce.wilson8@verizon.net or 856-816-1544.
The Hogan-Whitney Ponds Association, in coordination with OCSWCD, plans to host a gravel road workshop on Thursday, Aug. 24, demonstrating different methods for maintaining and improving private gravel roads in the watershed.
For more information or to register for the workshop, email Wilson.
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