BELGRADE LAKES — A 10-year plan to stabilize and improve the water quality of Great Pond will be the focus of an online public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10.

Measures to reduce pollution to the lake, prevent algal blooms, and monitor the lake’s condition will be detailed during the meeting, according to a news release from the Belgrade Lakes Association.

The association, 7 Lakes Alliance and their partners urge residents of the Great Pond watershed, lake users and all interested parties to participate in this free, interactive program. The public’s participation will help experts protect this resource through the sharing of knowledge and by helping to shape the plan.

According to the release, Great Pond is an 8,533-acre lake in the towns of Belgrade and Rome in Kennebec County. The largest of the seven lakes in the Belgrade chain of ponds, Great Pond was listed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as not meeting water quality standards in 2010. A 2018 survey of the Great Pond watershed identified 237 sites around the lake where dirt carried by stormwater runoff is entering and polluting the lake. These sites and other contributing factors will be the focus of restoration efforts.

The 10-year Watershed-Based Management Plan seeks state and federal funds under the U.S. Clean Water Act, authored by Gov. Ed Muskie in 1971. Public input is key to successfully securing these funds.

The project’s steering and technical advisory committees include representatives from the association, 7 Lakes Alliance, the Towns of Belgrade and Rome, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District, Colby College, Ecological Instincts, and Water Resource Services. The project is funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

To register online, visit 7LakesAlliance.org.

For more information, email the association at [email protected].