Eagle Lake wants to stop using pesticides near public wells

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 2 minutes read

EAGLE LAKE, Maine — The Eagle Lake Water and Sewer District has asked the state to ban the use of pesticides within 500 feet of two wells that supply the town with drinking water.

As part of this process, the state Office of Pesticide Control will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. July 19 at its offices at 90 Blossom Lane in Augusta and online via Microsoft Teams. Links will be available via the BPC meeting page shortly before the hearing.

Gerald Raymond, director of the Eagle Lake Water and Sewer District, said it was a preventative measure to keep pesticides out of the groundwater. The town of about 400 people isn't alone in its water supply concerns. Wells in many towns across the state are contaminated with the never-ending chemicals, according to data from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The two wells were installed around 2009, Raymond said. That's when the district noticed that adjacent landowners were spraying their lawns with fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides for insects. One landowner had a licensed herbicide sprayer come and coat his lawn with a chemical used to deter geese.

This map, included in materials for an upcoming Pesticide Control Board meeting, depicts an area that the Eagle Lake Water and Sewer District would like to see designated as a pesticide control area. The area surrounds two wellheads which provide the city's water supply. Credit: Courtesy of Aroostook County Tourism Office

Raymond said the city tried to enact a wellhead protection ordinance at that time, but it failed. Another attempt to control that area about two years ago also failed.

He said state drinking water program officials have advised the district to take action, either through an ordinance or through the pesticide control board, or it could affect the city's drinking water.

“It's basically about doing [adjacent landowners] “We recognize that if we continue to use these products, at some point we're going to have to test them in our wells,” he said. “And that's going to be costly to the district, so we're trying to prevent that from happening.”

Testing has not yet been done in that area, but Raymond said it could happen in the future.

“We could get to a point where the state could ask us to do testing, now that they're aware this is happening,” he said.

According to the BPC, this measure could impact eight nearby landowners, preventing them from using pesticides on their land or hiring professionals to treat their property with pesticides. The area also includes a railway line. If this control zone is approved, the railway would no longer be able to apply pesticides for track maintenance.

The July 19 hearing, according to the BPC, is intended to gather public comment to help the board draft a rule. The board will not take any formal action on the petition during the meeting.

Raymond said he hopes this will allow the district to better protect the two wellheads that supply water to the entire city.

“We’re looking to protect our public water supply,” he said. “We hope this will be another tool we can use to protect our groundwater in the future.”