The Worromontogus Lake Association will host a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, to update stakeholders in the Togus Pond watershed about current efforts to restore water quality in Togus Pond.

The lake association is in the process of preparing an updated 10-year Watershed-Based Management Plan for the lake that will result in the development of restoration strategies to reduce current sources of pollution in the watershed and prevent recurrence of annual algal blooms in the lake, according to a news release from Greg Jolda, president of the association.

The last watershed plan was completed in 2008 and is now out of date. The meeting will provide an update from project scientists including Jennifer Jespersen of Ecological Instincts. Public feedback is needed to help inform the management plan. Because of public health concerns, the meeting, which was to be held at the Augusta City Hall, will now be held by video conferencing. Interested stakeholders can register to attend the meeting by emailing Jolda at [email protected].

According to the release, Togus Pond is a 643-acre lake with a 3.45 square mile watershed located in Augusta. Togus Pond has a history of late summer-early fall algal blooms because in part to a long history of excess phosphorus loading into the lake sediments combined with current contributions from developed land in the watershed.

Togus Pond is listed on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s list of lakes that do not meet State water quality standards. In 2019, the association conducted a watershed survey which identified 60 sites where pollution is getting to the lake. The updated plan is the next step in the process to allow the association and project partners to access state and federal grants to restore the lake and is expected to be complete in early 2021.

In addition to the association, the project steering committee and technical advisory committees include representatives from the City of Augusta, Maine DEP, Ecological Instincts, and Water Resource Services, Inc.

For more information, or to register for the public meeting contact Jolda at [email protected].