Did you know that August is National Water Quality Month? Water Quality has been monitored on Watchic Lake since the 1970s by a dedicated crew of volunteers, and we are happy to report that water clarity was greater than 6 meters on the mid-August sampling day this summer. Much better than August 2023! This is partly due to the drier summer and largely due to the efforts of property owners around the lake, using programs like LakeSmart, to help control
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The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sent out a reminder that beginning on August 9, 2024, a new law goes into place that prohibits the operation of a motorboat engaged in a wakesurfing activity in less than 15 feet of water or within 300 feet of the shoreline.  Wakesurfing activity: is defined as an activity that involves using a surfboard, wakeboard, or similar device while being propelled by a motorboat’s wake or while on or in a motorboat’s
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Sadly, on July 28th, a dead loon chick was was found floating by Owen Smith near his property on the Hi Vu section of the lake. The cause of death is TBD and the body has been handed over to the game warden for further analysis. As a reminder loons dive deep and for minutes at time in search for food. They can pop up anywhere at any time. PLEASE keep an eye out for them and respect their space when boating.
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The Watchic Lake Association has been selected again to be a part of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program during the month of January 2024. We hope we can count on you to buy your first, or a few more of the Hannaford Community Reusable Bags during the month of March at the Hannaford store located in Standish. For each environmentally friendly reusable bag sold during March the WLA will receive $1. Thank you so much for your continued support of
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A significant number of Cyanobacteria blooms have identified around the lake. Depending on the concentration of Cyanobacteria, it can be harmful to humans and pets. Maine DEP suggests: When in doubt, stay out! If an area looks green or cloudy, smells bad, or has scum on the surface, or you can’t see the bottom in 4-5 feet of water because it is so green, do not swim in that area. Algal scums along the shore have the highest concentrations of
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During 2022 many Watchic Lake members and visitors made donations to the WLA above and beyond their dues. And a number of members participated in the DEP Section 319 grant and made significant cash match payments to help complete their projects. Thank you to these heroes, for your time and investment to help keep the lake clean and healthy!
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Amazon announced that it is winding down it’s AmazonSmile program by February 20, 2023. Purchases made before February 20, 2023, will continue to generate donations from Amazon. The WLA wishes to thank those of you who took advantage of AmazonSmile. Your participation led to nearly $600 being donated to the WLA by the Amazon Corporation. As part of their closing of this program, Amazon will make a donation to the WLA equal to one third of their donations to the
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December 2022. Based on analysis done by FB Environmental, sediment and other pollutants entering Watchic Lake will be reduced by over two tons per year. December 2022 In late 2019, the Watchic Lake Association (WLA) with help from FB Environmental developed a watershed protection plan designed to improve water quality in the Watchic Lake Watershed over the coming 10 years. The plan was approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
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The key message… if you feed the ducks they stick around the lake, they eat the snails, poop out parasites, and you get Swimmers Itch. So PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE DUCKS! Swimmer’s itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, appears as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain parasites that infect some birds and mammals. These microscopic parasites are released from infected snails into fresh and salt water (such as lakes, ponds, and oceans). While the parasite’s preferred
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Whether opening your camp after the winter, and doing some springing cleaning are your year round home, consider these lake friendly Spring Cleaning Tips from LakeSmart. This short guide provides information on disposing of yard waste, septic system do’s and don’ts, culvert maintenance etc. LakeSmart offers free opportunities for homeowners to learn how to manage their home and yard to protect the water quality of their lake.  The primary focus of LakeSmart is to keep our lake water clean by
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