teal wave

Gaecklin Road
Gets Clean Water
Act Makeover

By: Sue Mello, Boothbay Region Water District

Gaecklin Road is looking – and functioning – a lot better this week.

The Boothbay Public Works crew regraded the road and installed new culverts, ditches, and check dams over the summer and Crooker Construction paved the road last week. With these road improvements, residents, first responders and plow trucks will no longer have to negotiate a soupy and rutted road. More importantly, Knickerbocker Lake will stop receiving downwashes of phosphorus-laden sediment eroded from the road surface, which degrades water quality. Maintaining water quality in our public water sources helps keep our drinking water healthful and reduces water treatment costs.
Gaecklin Road

Gaecklin Road. Image from Google Maps.

Boothbay Region Water District has received several grants in recent years to protect water quality in Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake, including funds to remediate pollution sources. When the water district identified Gaecklin Road as a significant source of polluted runoff to Knickerbocker Lake, it sought Clean Water Act grant funds from Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to make improvements. With the aid of federal dollars, Public Works Director Mike Alley was happy to move a long-standing problem road to the top of his 2021 list. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens made the project easier to accomplish by contributing funds, as well.

The $42,940 DEP grant for the Gaecklin Road project was awarded to the water district in 2020. This is the third DEP Clean Water Act grant the water district has received since 2016 to address non-point source pollution sites in the Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake watersheds. Using DEP methods, the water district estimates the Gaecklin Road upgrade will keep about 11 pounds of phosphorus from reaching Knickerbocker Lake annually – a significant amount for a substance that can affect water quality at the parts per billion level. Overall, the water district’s three 319 grant projects have brought $130,750 in federal grant dollars to the community and removed an annual pollutant load of over 100 pounds of phosphorus to the two public water supplies.

The 319 grant projects are a good example of how collaboration among local organizations and residents benefits the whole community. The Town of Boothbay, Boothbay Region YMCA, CMBG, and numerous watershed property owners partnered with the water district to complete 32 remediation projects under these 319 grants to protect the public water supply. Without these partnerships, far less would have been accomplished.

Funding for this project, in part, was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The funding is administered by Maine DEP in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency.

*Attention East Boothbay Customers*

The Boothbay Region Water District will be flushing our seasonal service water mains in the East Boothbay / Ocean Point area the morning of 10 July 2024 between the hours of 12:00 AM until 6:00 AM.

Certification

As an applicant for employment with Boothbay Region Water District, I certify that the information contained in this application is correct and that I have not omitted any information.

I understand that falsification or omission of information may result in the rejection of my application, or if employment commences, immediate dismissal.

I authorize Boothbay Region Water District to contact former employers and educational organizations regarding my employment and education.

I hereby release all such persons from any and all liability or claims for damage whatsoever that may result from responding to any inquiry or furnishing any information.

I understand that nothing contained in this application or in the granting of an interview creates a contract between Boothbay Region Water District and me for either employment or for the providing of any benefits.

No promises regarding employment have been made to me and I understand that no such promise or guarantee is binding upon Boothbay Region Water District unless made in writing by the Manager, Boothbay Region Water District. If an employment relationship is established, I acknowledge that no consideration has been furnished to Boothbay Region Water District for my employment other than my services.

I agree and acknowledge that my employment can be terminated, with or without cause or notice, at any time by Boothbay Region Water District or myself. I further agree and acknowledge that no representative other than the Manager, Boothbay Region Water District has the authority to make any oral or written agreements for employment for a specified time or for specific conditions of my employment. I further agree and acknowledge that any agreement for employment for a specified period of time or specific conditions of my employment must be in writing and signed by the Manager, Boothbay Region Water District and me.

I understand that if I am selected for employment I will be required to verify, within three days of my date of hire, my identity and eligibility to work as required under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. I understand that this requirement applies to all new employees. My signature attests that I have carefully read and understand the information contained in this certification. I further declare and certify that the entries set forth on this application and on other documents provided by me to Boothbay Region Water District as part of this application process are true and accurate.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.