PHOTO: Kayakers on Little Wilson Pond, in Turner, earlier this year. The pond’s water quality has once again been found to be excellent.
TURNER — Property owners on Little Wilson Pond have been monitoring water quality for decades, cognizant of the fact that this body of water lies within the Lake Auburn watershed. LWP water flows first into The Basin in North Auburn and eventually to Lake Auburn, supplying drinking water to residents of Auburn and Lewiston
Even with the heavy rain this year, the water quality in Little Wilson Pond remained excellent throughout 2021.
Pond resident Biz Gagnon has been testing the water clarity since April, continuing the legacy of long-time property owner Dick Thibodeau, who died in November 2020, and wife Stephanie Jo.
Because of this testing, Gagnon’s is the last boat to leave the pond before ice begins to form. Working in conjunction with the Lake Stewards of Maine on the water quality testing, Gagnon reported the best water clarity results came in July, when testing showed visibility to a depth of 19 feet. Traditionally, the water quality declines in August, but even then the clarity was at 15 feet; early November numbers showed 14 feet.
“While we had heavy rains in the fall, the water quality remained good all summer because the drought this spring meant less runoff into the pond early on,” says Gagnon.
Unlike Lake Auburn, Little Wilson Pond has always been open to swimming and fishing. At 110 acres, the pond is more attractive to smaller boats, with pontoons boats proving to be the most popular this year.
“Little Wilson Pond has a mix of about 50 year-round homes and camps, and we have seen a resurgence in people interested in buying on the pond,” says Janet White, president of the Little Wilson Pond Improvement Association. “That’s always a good thing, and we are always glad to tell new, year-round homeowners that the town does a great job of wintertime plowing.”
