NORWAY – A fairly new town policy to lower the level of Norway Lake is causing one lakefront resident some concern.

“It could render my home unlivable from December to April,” Donald Mayberry told the Board of Selectmen at their regular Thursday night meeting. Mayberry has a home on Soumela Road that sits close to the water’s edge.

Mayberry said his water pipe, which runs water from under the lake into his home, is exposed when the lake level dips too low, leaving his pipe vulnerable to freezing.

Last year, the town agreed to lower the water level about six inches to prevent the lake from flooding people’s homes. Tere Porter, who also lives on Soumela Road, has said his home sustained more than $13,000 during the spring of 2005.

The town has moved away from a decision it made in the 1990s to not regulate the lake to avoid these types of conflicts.

The company, Ridgewood Renewable Power, controls the water with a dam at the eastern edge of the lake.

Mayberry, who has owned his home for more than 25 years, said he has had no problems until recently.

Town Manager David Holt said it was not the town’s intention to freeze him.

Holt then suggested that the town continue its policy to try to lower the water levels and then when the new level has been reached, re-examine Mayberry’s situation.

Because rain is predicted in the near future, there is little likelihood the lake will drop dramatically.

The board agreed to let Holt turn off the dam if the water level in the meantime dropped too low, exposing Mayberry’s water line.