The first project in a five-year plan to restore critical fish passages for brook trout and landlocked salmon in the greater Sebago Lake watershed is now completed.
Lauren Pickford, Planning and Land Use Manager at Lakes Environmental Association, says a crushed culvert on the Burgess Brook in the Jugtown Forest has been replaced with an open bottom bridge designed to handle climate change and last up to 100 years.
"We know that we're getting more frequent rain storms, so when culverts washout that sediment from road gets into the streams and ponds and contains phosphorous that creates algae blooms. So our focus is on water quality and it has this added benefit of connecting habitat for spawning fish and all sorts of other wildlife," Pickford said.
Lakes Environmental Association worked with Sebago Clean Waters, the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and the Hancock Land Company on the culvert replacement.
Pickford says future projects include the removal of the Edes Falls Dam, and connecting Little Pond to the Crooked River in the western foothills to create new spawning habitat for fish.
