For years there has been a huge discrepancy between what Sappi Fine Paper, local marinas and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection believe to be a “normal water level,” and what local environmentalists, like the Friends of Sebago Lake, businesses dependent on available beach areas, and homeowners, believe to be a “healthy water level.”
“The levels are managed on a daily basis,” said Jeffrey Pena, director of corporate communications at Sappi Fine Paper. “Homeowners will say that the levels are too high… but we’re definitely in the range we’ve set for this month.”
The bottom range for the water level set for June, said Pena, is at 265.55 feet, and high range is exactly at 266.30 feet. “We’re within that range,” he said.
Although the water level does currently rest within this range set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, there are problems for people in the area who will argue that the water is still too high.
Sue LaMarre, the park manager at Tassel Top Park, said she had to turn people away at the gatehouse last weekend because there wasn’t enough beach to accommodate everyone.
“The water is about eight to 10 feet higher (up the beach) than usual,” she said.
As a result, the park, which LaMarre said is reaching out for new patrons, is losing money.
Sue’s husband, Kevin, who works at the Frye Island Ferry, said when the water is this high-“within the monthly range” set by regulatory standards-it becomes dangerous work to move vehicles from the mainland to the island.
“This is one of the highest levels that I’ve seen. During rough weather the waves rock the boat and causes stress on the hinges and counterweights,” he said. “You have to know what you’re doing or you’ll pay.”
Ted Tibbals, an electrical contractor who lives on Sebago Lake, said when his wife’s parents purchased their house in 1959 the beach was about 50 feet wide.
“Now, in the fall, we might see six feet,” he said.
Tibbals said that he has photographs and postcards of Sebago Lake taken in the past with large beaches, and believes that because the water level is strictly regulated, erosion has become a serious problem.
“Ninety-five percent of the beaches in Sebago are gone,” he said. “Newcomers in the area have no idea that there were once beaches on this lake… and therefore the property isn’t worth what it used to be. Where have the beaches gone?”
Dana Murch, director of dams and hydropower for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, agreed with Sappi that the water levels are normal, and also said the photographs showing large beaches to which Tibbals was referring were “probably taken during a drought.”
“That’s a lie,” said Roger Wheeler, the president of the Friends of Sebago Lake. Wheeler argues that there were in fact beaches along the lake until “certain interests banded together” to regulate the water level for the sake of profit, such as the local marinas and Sappi.
Strict regulations on Sebago Lake, Wheeler said, have led to huge environmental problems, not to mention the degradation of the coastline. “The lake needs to fluctuate in order to be healthy,” he said. “These levels are not historically where they should be. You’ve got people saying it’s at a regular level for their own interests. With no fluctuation, with no variability, the water is just going to be hammering the shoreline.”
Charlie Frechette, owner of the Sebago Lake Marina, argued that the water level is exactly where it should be and that the lake is unpolluted, “one of the cleanest,” in fact.
“No one wants to see water quality degradation, but Sebago Lake by anyone’s standards is a clean lake,” he said, adding that the issue of erosion is often overplayed by some members of the community.
“There’s going to be erosion… a beach is a finite resource. A lot of these people built too close to the lake and now they’re trying to fight to lower it,” he said.
Although Frechette admitted that a higher water level is beneficial to businesses like the marina, he said it translates into more money for the community.
“What’s good for the boating community is good for the economy of the whole area,” he said.
Wherever one stands, it is safe to say that, unlike the beach, the contentious issue of the water levels will not go away any time soon.
“You’ll always have people concerned about the water level,” said Pena.
Patti Graham, an employee at the Frye Island Ferry, checks everything before sending cars over to Frye Island. Ferry officials say storms can cause dangerous complications when the water level is high.Send questions/comments to the editors.
