Eagle Lake wants to end pesticide use near public wells

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 Board of Pesticide Control will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. on 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.

Eagle Lake Water and Sewer District Superintendent Gerald Raymond said this is a preventative measure to ensure pesticides do not enter groundwater. The town of around 400 inhabitants is not the only one concerned about the water supply. Wells in many cities across the state are contaminated with permanent chemicals, according to data from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Both wells were installed around 2009, according to Raymond. It was around this time that the district noticed adjacent property owners spraying their lawns with fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides for insects. One homeowner used a licensed herbicide sprayer to cover his lawn with a chemical used to deter geese.

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

Raymond said the city tried to enact a wellhead protection ordinance around that time, but it failed. Another attempt to control this 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 drinking water from the city.

“It’s basically making adjacent landowners aware that if they continue to use these products, at some point we’re going to have to test them in our wells,” he said. “And it’s going to cost the district, so we’re trying to prevent that from happening.” »

No testing has been done in this area yet, but Raymond said it could happen in the future.

“It could get to the point where the state could ask us to do testing, now that they’re aware of what’s going on,” he said.

This could impact up to eight nearby landowners by preventing them from using pesticides on their land or hiring professionals to treat their property with pesticides, according to the BPC. The area also includes a railroad track. If this control zone is approved, the railroad will 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 wells, which supply water to the entire city.

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