CONCEPT DRAFT

SUMMARY

This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.

The purpose of this bill is to immediately reduce pollution to Androscoggin Lake originating from the Androscoggin River and thereby protect the lake's natural environment by directing the Department of Environmental Protection to take over ownership of, and immediate responsibility for the maintenance of, the pollution barrier located on the Dead River in Leeds, Maine known as the "Dead River Dam." The barrier is owned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. The bill will also direct the Department of Environmental Protection to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2003 on the sources of point source and nonpoint source pollutants entering into the Androscoggin River and then the Dead River and the Department of Environmental Protection's proposals for eliminating or minimizing these pollutant sources so as to protect Androscoggin Lake. A recently commissioned Department of Environmental Protection engineering analysis that is focused on recommending short-term and long-term solutions to protect Androscoggin Lake from the influences of the Androscoggin River is scheduled to be presented to the Department of Environmental Protection in January 2002, and it is anticipated that the results of this analysis will be made part of this bill.

The bill would also recommit up to $20,000 in funds to the Land and Water Resources Council's Lakes Heritage Trust Fund, with the direction that these funds be made available to the Department of Environmental Protection to make needed repairs to the barrier and restore the barrier to its original design, working in cooperation with local stakeholders. Without these immediate and long-term actions by the State, the water quality of Androscoggin Lake will continue to decline and remediation may become very difficult and costly.