Each year, Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake provide hundreds of millions of gallons of clean drinking water to Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport. Our public water supply Is one of the main reasons the Boothbay peninsula can support so many year-round businesses, schools, and public and private institutions. In addition to our year round water service, from May through October, seasonal water lines expand our water infrastructure to sustain summer residences and the tourist economy.
While our communities rely on our water supply lakes, the water quality within them relies on what happens on the land that drains into them. These watershed areas drive water quality. We know from studies here – and across the globe – that when too much of a watershed’s natural area is converted to human development, water quality declines.
Fortunately for us, our water supplies still meet all state water quality standards and most of the Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake watersheds remain in their natural state. These forested watershed areas serve as a natural filter, intercepting rainfall, capturing pollutants, and controlling erosion. While hundreds of watershed acres are currently protected, most are not. Studies indicate we need to conserve much more watershed land to protect water quality for the future. If we don’t, water quality degradation will affect water treatment costs, property values, recreation, our tourism economy, and our quality of life.
Recognizing the need for a regional watershed conservation effort, the Boothbay Region Clean Drinking Water Initiative (BR CDWI) formed in 2020. This unique collaboration has engaged three towns and some of the Region’s most notable non-profit organizations in a new enterprise, whose sole goal is safeguarding the community’s water supply.
The BR CDWI mission is to forever safeguard the Boothbay Region’s public drinking water supply through land conservation, education, stewardship, and community collaboration.
Get Involved!
Help us protect our water supply for future generations! Volunteer, donate or learn more.