WATERBORO — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has canceled a scheduled hearing that had been set for Monday concerning a 10 -year-old petition regarding water levels on Little Ossipee Pond.
Selectmen in July unanimously approved an ordinance designed to keep water levels at Little Ossipee Pond under local control. They further amended the ordinance in early August at the suggestion of the DEP. Passage caused the DEP to agree that the local ordinance conformed with the state law that allows municipalities home rule over lake levels. That action canceled the hearing the DEP had earlier set on the 10-year-old petition.
The town had controlled the level of Little Ossipee Pond since the 1700s, and through policy since 1969, when the summer level was set at 6 feet, 6 inches.
A petition filed in August 2007 asked the state to lower the lake level to try and head off an erosion problem.There was no movement by the DEP on the petition until recently. The agency did not comment on why it took them 10 years to proceed.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less