10-12-2026: ALEWIVES AND FISHLADDERS. On September 10, 2026, the nonprofit group Upstream Cobbossee, in conjunction with the Conservation Law Foundation, filed a petition with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Marine Resources to initiate a process aimed at forcing the three dams on Cobbosseecontee Stream in Gardiner to install fish passages (fish ladders), at the owners expense, to permit alewives and other fish species free access to the stream and Pleasant Pond. New Mills Dam, which is owned by the towns of Gardiner, Litchfield, and Richmond (soon adding West Gardiner) would face a multi-million dollar expense (estimated at $3.5 million in 2020) to build a fish ladder. That cost would be passed on to the taxpayers of each town. Allowing millions of alewives to migrate into our pond and stream each year poses a threat to our already stressed water quality. After discussions with the Cobbosse Watershed District and municipal officials, the PPCSLA Board of Directors has taken a stance in opposition to building fish passages as we did in 2020. A letter stating our concerns has been sent to the commissioners of IF&W and DMR asking them to deny the petition. We will keep you posted as this issue develops yet again.
PPCSLA Recieves Significant Grant from Kennebec Savings Bank!
The PPCSLA Board of Directors is extremely pleased to announce our lake association is the recipient of a $7500 grant from the Kennebec Savings Bank – Community Dividends Program! The grant will help pay for AIS services for 2026, provide seed money for a Reserve Account, provide funds for community outreach, and cover some administrative costs associated with volunteer CBI. We are very grateful to KSB for their confidence in and support of the PPCSLA as we grow as an organization and work to protect our pond and stream water quality and from aquatic invasive species. Thank you KSB!!
Cobbossee Watershed District (CWD) – Updating the Pleasant Pond Management Plan
Personnel of the CWD have begun the process of updating their mangement plan for Pleasant Pond to improve water quality and reduce inputs of phosphorus from non-point sources. A major part of the project is an inventory and evaluation of camp roads around the lake. CWD personnel will visit each camp road and will make recommendations to local residents, as warranted, about how they can reduce runoff from their roads that otherwise loads phosphorus into the pond. Phosophorus is the main nutrient that drives algal and cyanobacteria blooms in the pond during mid to late summer each year. A few roads have been done this spring, the rest will be evaluated beginning in the fall. The PPCSLA is seeking volunteers from each camp road to walk their road with the CWD folks and hear their recommendations. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Greg Anderson at: anderson.gregoryj.me@gmail.com.