Town of Raymond, Maine

Panther Pond Watershed Survey (June 6-7, 2025)
The Panther Pond watershed drains 12.3 square miles in Casco and Raymond.  Panther Pond is listed on Maine’s Nonpoint Source Priority Watersheds list based on historical monitoring and watershed development (DEP, 2014). Panther Pond is also recognized as one of Maine’s “Lakes Most at Risk from Development” by DEP under the Maine Stormwater Law. The biggest pollution culprit in Panther Pond and other Maine lakes is polluted runoff or non-point source (NPS) pollution. Stormwater runoff from rain and snowmelt picks up soil, nutrients and other pollutants as it flows across the land, and washes into the lake. The problem is not necessarily the water itself, It’s the nutrients in the runoff that can be bad news for Maine lakes. Studies have shown that runoff from developed areas has 5 to 10 times the amount of phosphorus compared to runoff from forested areas.  In natural conditions, the scarcity of phosphorus in a lake limits algae growth. However, when a lake receives extra phosphorus, algae growth increases dramatically. In effect, we are “fertilizing” Panther Pond with the soil that erodes from our driveways, roads, ditches, pathways and beaches. Sometimes this growth causes choking blooms, but more often it results in small, insidious changes in water quality that, over time, damage the ecology, aesthetics and economy of lakes.
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The Panther Pond Association (PPA) has approved a survey to be done June 6-7,2025. This survey will be done in cooperation with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) , Maine Conservation Corp, Portland Water District and the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District. The purpose of the watershed survey is multifold:

• Identify and prioritize existing sources of polluted runoff, particularly soil erosion sites, in the Panther Pond Watershed.
• Reevaluate past identified sites and work that has been done on sites.
• Raise public awareness about the connection between land use and water    quality.
• Inspire people to become active stewards of the watershed.
• Provide the basis to obtain federal funds to assist in fixing identified erosion sites.
• Use the information gathered as one component of a long-term lake protection plan.
• Make general recommendations to landowners for fixing erosion problems on their properties.

The purpose of the survey is NOT to point fingers at landowners with problem spots, NOR is it to seek enforcement action against landowners not in compliance with ordinances. It is the hope that through future projects, the PPA can work together with landowners to solve erosion problems on their property or help them learn how best to accomplish solutions on their own. A steering committee was formed and has been working this winter on the planning and logistics for the survey. Volunteers have been recruited to be trained and lead the actual survey effort. The work done by this group should prepare The Panther Pond Association to pursue grant funding to help with any remediation cost of any major issues identified. Property owners will receive a mailing in May with more details on this initiative. Please send any questions about the Survey to ppwatersurvey@pantherpondassociation.org

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