PARIS – The Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District will provide free technical assistance to people who live in the Sunday River Watershed as part of its three-year project to control erosion on their property.

The watershed is all the land that drains to the river by tributaries, seeps, springs or ground water flow. The project is funded by a federal grant that is administered through the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Recent surveys by the district found soil erosion from roads and development may be a major cause of instability in the Sunday River. Throughout the river’s course, new channels are being scoured. Riverfront property, homes and roads are threatened. Eroding soil has hurt the fishery by filling in pools and smothering spawning beds with sediment.

When technical assistance is requested, the Oxford County district visits the landowner or land manager to discuss, on site, possible solutions to erosion problems. The district prepares a report that contains a site sketch and recommendations.

The service is offered at no cost to those requesting technical assistance to implement recommendations although the district hopes the technical assistance it is offering to Sunday River Watershed residents will help reduce sediment runoff into the river. The district does not enforce any regulations.

Technical assistance is provided on a first-come-first served basis. For more information, call Jeff Stern at 207-743-5789, extension 3.