Standish, Maine
May, 1997
by John Alphonse
The Portland Water District's acquisition of a 35-acre wooded lot near the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish strengthens its efforts to preserve the land and water near the intakes for Greater Portland's drinking water.
The District's long-range goal is to preserve all the land along the designated two-mile water intake zone, to prevent it from development and potential contamination. Along with its lake-wide monitoring programs, the District hopes these measures will preserve the quality of the area's drinking water for generations to come. And as more lakeside and watershed-area development takes place, these efforts become even more imperative.
Norman Twaddel, the PWD's right-of-way agent, is responsible for seeking out and buying land. He says that under the District's current land acquisition policy, the District is interested in considering all land for sale in the two-mile zone and within 1,000 feet of the water. "We are not invoking eminent domain," he emphasizes. "We are looking for willing sellers."
Norman Twaddel, the PWD's right-of-way agent, calls the 35-acre lot his "best acquisition yet" since taking the job in 1988. |
The Mountain Division Rail Line, owned by Guilford Transportation Co., occupies the lake frontage of the property. |
The owner of the 35-acre parcel, David Lowell of Westbrook, contacted the district when he heard that they were considering the purchase of land around the drinking water intakes. He harvested some of the timber "quite responsibly," notes Twaddel, before selling it to the District for $83,000.
Twaddel says that Lowell was interested in preserving the land, and he was looking to secure funds for retirement. With the District's fair-market-value offer, he was "thrilled" to make a profit and see the land kept intact. The property had been in the Lowell family since the early 1800's.
Ironically, one of Twaddel's first attempts to acquire land for the District was writing a letter to David Lowell's father several years ago. The elder Lowell was not interested in selling at that time.
Sebago Lake Association
Formed in 1992 to bring together "lakeside property owners, abutting
town governments, lake-related businesses, lake area environmental groups,
the Portland Water District, and other groups on and around the lake."
Maine Volunteer Lake
Monitoring Program (VLMP)
One of the oldest and most experienced citizen monitoring programs in the
country. Since 1971.
Lakes Region of Maine
This web site is used to help support announcements of non-profit projects
& organizations and provide a jump page to informational sites about
the area.
U.S. Water News Online
Keeps its readers abreast of the latest news concerning water and water
issues around the country.
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