BRIDGTON — Lakes Environmental Association will host a walking tour of residential conservation practices at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, beginning at 95 Woods Pond Drive.

The walk will last about two hours and cover two tenths of a mile. It’s free and open to the public.

For the past three years, LEA has led an intensive erosion control project in the Woods Pond Watershed.

Too much soil eroding from the land unleashes a disastrous chain of events which can result in a clear blue lake becoming choked with dense algae growth. Algae blooms like this have already occurred on lakes in the Augusta and Lewiston areas. LEA and partners want to make sure it doesn’t happen on Woods Pond.

While the Woods Pond Erosion Control Project has focused primarily on fixing big road-related erosion problems, there are many simple, relatively inexpensive practices that homeowners can take in order to minimize erosion. Many of these practices will be on display during the walking tour.

Individually, most residential erosion problems are small in scope. But cumulatively they can have a large impact on lake water quality. On display will be practices such as buffer planting, covering bare areas with mulch, installing runoff diverters across driveways, roof runoff prevention, and pathway improvement. Many of these practices were installed as part of the Woods Pond Erosion Control Project, with cost-sharing between LEA and the property owner.

Funding for the Woods Pond Erosion Control Project was provided in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

FMI: 207-595-0317, [email protected].