Water levels in check at Tripp Pond, despite recent heavy rains

A view of the outlet and flood plain in December at Tripp Pond in Poland functioning as normal, with no signs of beaver activity. Submitted photo

POLAND — After a long and contentious year for residents at Tripp Pond dealing with flooding — caused initially by beavers and then by humans — two rainstorms this month dumped more than 5 inches of rain, which translated into nearly 6 feet of water at the pond.

“It was a quick rise, you know, because we had ice melts, snowmelts and rain,” Shellie Howe said Tuesday. “But the good news was when that started, we were pretty close to where we needed to be for the winter.”

Howe, a lifelong resident of Tripp Pond, was instrumental in collecting and organizing information and images on the lake’s water levels over the past two years, especially last summer, when members of the Tripp Lake Improvement Association installed bladders to artificially raise the water levels.

A photo of the outlet at Tripp Pond on Nov. 24 shows water flowing smoothly through the lake’s only outlet, located center right of the where ripples can be seen. Submitted photo

That decision divided residents, who hold very different ideas of what the “normal” level should be and they have competing priorities when it comes to the recreational uses of the lake. Some want the water level higher to facilitate boating, while others prefer the lower level and the sand beaches Tripp Pond is famous for. This group of residents advocates for what they call the “natural state” of the lake, which has only one outlet and no dam to regulate flow.

For more than two years high water levels in Tripp Pond, also known as Tripp Lake, have flooded and damaged properties, leaving docks underwater, eroding and washing away beaches and opening the possibility of septic systems leaching untreated sewage into the lake.

Repairs to some of the camps that experienced repeated flooding will have to wait until 2024, although some landowners have moved ahead with repair work and beach restoration.

Howe said despite the heavy rains, the lake is draining rapidly, as it should. A visual inspection of the outlet site from a drone shows no sign of beaver activity at the outlet, although they remain active at one of the inlets and appear to have settled in there.

Kruger Energy Inc., based in Montreal, Quebec, owns the land and water flow rights to the lake’s only outlet. That’s where members of the Tripp Lake Improvement Association installed bladders in the outlet in the summer, with the stated goal to raise the lake’s water level. They did not seek or get permission from the landowner and the state of Maine ordered the association to remove the bladders.

A representative from Kruger did a site visit and inspection Nov. 3. “They let us know that nothing looked out of the ordinary and they’re still encouraging all of us on the lake to let them know if we see anything that looks out of the ordinary on their land,” Howe said, adding the company has been very responsive, gracious and open to communication.

A group called Friends of Tripp Lake has formed a Facebook page and has 58 members as of Wednesday, including some former members of the Tripp Lake Improvement Association, according to Howe.