Adams Pond has been theprimary public water supply for the Boothbay region since the 1800s, according to Boothbay Region Water District (BRWD).However, it is susceptible to negative impacts from human activity because it is adjacent toa road, bya stone’s throwin some places.Now, BRWD and the town of Boothbay have teamed up to give the pond more spaceby moving the road.  

“It was so naturally right there before you,” said BRWD Natural Resources Program Manager Rebecca Jacobs about the solution and new location. “It was like, 'Oh, why didn't we think of this before?'"

Jacobs gave a talk about BRWD and the Adams Pond Road Realignment Project at the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club Nov. 14. She said she considered it the unveiling of the project, which aims to move about 1,000 feet of the road away from the pond onto adjacent water district land, installing a buffer in its place. Some constructionequipment is on site. Jacobs said in an email Nov. 26, work will start "any day now."

“Anybody who's driven on Adams Pond (Road) knows that the road is just about in the pond,” Jacobs said. “From a water quality standpoint, buffer, buffer, buffer, buffer.” 

Road salts and sand, oils, and other chemicals are a part of transportation, but theycan pose a threat to water quality, especially so close to the pond, Jacobs said. In addition, the stakes are higher for the open public water source that, alongside Knickerbocker Lake,helps supply water to around 3,300 customers, according to BRWD. A vegetatedbuffercan help filter runoff and pollutants before they reach the lake, and Jacobs said the more the better.  

“Adams Pond is like the example of what not to do,” she said. “They didn't know at the time. We now understand the science,and so now we know.” 

She said the new road will maintain the road's character, size and scale; the move will add over an acre of buffer. The district will then fill the buffer and old roadbed with native plants that mimic natural vegetation. There will also be a footpath with erosion control mulch and two pull-off areas for fishing or other activities.“Itwon't look perfect right away but, over time, it will look more natural,” she said.   

A second part of the project will reduce the dip in the road by Boothbay Craft Brewery; Jacobs said this will help with runoff issues and smooth the road out. 

Jacobs said the project, estimated to cost around $300,000, is a partnership between the town and BRWD, supported in part by almost $150,000 of federal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funds under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The funding is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with EPA. In addition, the project is guided by an advisory group that includes members from Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Dirigo Engineers, Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, and the two towns.

According to Jacobs, Boothbay Public Works will start by setting up erosion control measures and clearing the trees necessary to construct the new roadbed and continue work if there isn’t frost in the ground. She said Adams Pond Road will remain accessible the entire time.