Watershed Survey
THE 2021 WATERSHED SURVEY
The Great East Lake Improvement Association (GELIA) in partnership with the Acton Wakefield Watershed Alliance (AWWA) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection conducted a survey of 
properties within the Great East Lake watershed in April 2021. The purpose of the survey was to identify areas of erosion, run-off, non-vegetated soil, roadway and driveway deterioration, and other problems that contribute to sediment being transported into our lake. Sediment entering the lake carries nutrients that can cause deterioration of the water quality. It is the responsibility of all of us to protect the quality of our lake for future generations.
The full report is available as a downloadable PDF link below
We all know that our lake is very 
clear and clean, but the challenge before us is to keep it that way for future generations. The survey identified many sites throughout the watershed that threaten its present condition. Here is a quick summary of the findings:
- 25 sites were identified as having a high impact on water quality
- 97 sites were identified with medium impact
- 101 sites were identified with low impact
Of these 200+ sites, about half of them require no-cost or low-cost remediation. The other half
are more involved, more technically challenging, and will have a greater expense associated with them. Please keep in mind that AWWA’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is available to assist with remediation projects and property owners need only pay the cost for materials, not labor.
Letters and emails were sent to all participating members informing them if erosion issues were found on their property or not. If issues were found, members were provided with details of the findings and suggested remediation methods.
If you do not receive a letter or email and would like to inquire about findings on your property
you can send your request to either the GELIA Watershed Committee email or the AWWA email address listed below to request that information. Please provide your name, the property owner’s name and the property address in your request.
watershedsurvey@greateastlake.org
info@AWwatersheds.org
We urge all property owners to read the report as it’s filled with useful information, helpful
remediation options and best practices for all kinds of issues. We also want to stress the
importance of addressing issues promptly should any be identified on your property.
Thank you again to all those who assisted with this survey and thanks to everyone for helping to keep our lake as clean, clear and beautiful as we possibly can.
