Water Quality Monitoring

The Pequawket Lake Preservation Association (PLPA) is dedicated to monitoring and improving the quality of Pequawket Lake. The Association performs regular lake quality readings, manages the spillway to track water levels, and engages with the lake community to promote discussion, education, and implementation of ways to improve water quality.

While our water quality is considered good, our lake is currently listed as a threatened lake by Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection because it is sensitive to increased phosphorous.

  • Please consult Limington Town Hall and/or the Department of Environmental Protection for information on any changes to your property.

  • Expansion, tree removal, and drainage changes can adversely affect water quality. Take a look through the LakeSmart materials for more information on best practices for property management.

  • Landscaping products that are acceptable in an urban environment may create problems in a shore front location. Phosphorous from runoff is our worst enemy. Check out our Ecological Landscaping page for helpful information!

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Water Quality Monitor, please click the button below to learn more and reach out!

Water Quality Data

Our volunteer Water Quality Monitors go out on the lake to sample the water on a bi-weekly basis throughout the sampling season (May-October). Certified through the Lake Stewards of Maine program, our volunteers use a variety of instruments, including a Secchi disc, to monitor several aspects of water quality, including clarity, chemistry, dissolved oxygen, and temperature.

The information that is collected during these sampling sessions is sent back to Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to be recorded, interpreted, and qualified. While it takes a while to get these quality-assured reports back, there are more recent data sets (not quality-assured) that we can look at to get an idea of how our water quality is measuring up compared to years past.

Explore the links below to learn more!