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Belgrade dams committee reviews winter water levels and maintenance plans
Summary
The Belgrade Area Dams Committee confirmed January minutes, reviewed lake elevations and gate settings across several ponds, noted recent maintenance at The Village Dam, heard an East Pond guest report overflow, and scheduled the next meeting for March 9.
Craig Alexander, chair of the Belgrade Area Dams Committee, called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Belgrade Town Office and led review of operational matters and recent maintenance.
The committee unanimously approved the January meeting minutes after a motion by Dick Greenan and a second from Tom Bennett, the group recorded. The committee then reported current lake elevations: Alexander said Great Pond measured 246.45 feet, roughly 15 inches below full pool with the gate open about 6 inches; Bennett said Long Pond was 236.10 feet, roughly 15 inches below full with its gate open about 10 inches; Alexander reported Salmon Lake at 276.9 feet, about 13 inches below full with two turns on the gate and the valve closed; and Greenan said Messalonskee Lake was 234.67 feet, about 8.76 inches below full with gates open.
The committee discussed its winter storage strategy and agreed dam operators will continue to monitor levels and maintain upper winter storage where appropriate. Alexander reported a recent maintenance action: he replaced heat tape at The Village Dam and plans to add an adapter so the plug fits an older electrical outlet.
In old business, Greenan said he attended a Rome Selectboard budget meeting and reported that the Dams Committee's requests appeared acceptable; Mike Belanger said he is investigating electrical usage at The Village Dam further. Guest Gordon Woods reported East Pond at 263.16 feet with about 2 inches of flow over the top of the dam and said the plan is to keep the gate open until ice-out.
The committee set its next meeting for Monday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. at the Belgrade Town Office. Tom Bennett moved to adjourn; Mike Belanger seconded, and the meeting adjourned at 4:16 p.m.
Notes: All attributions in this article come from the meeting transcript. Where the transcript recorded typographical errors (e.g., "Al in favor"), this article reflects the reasonable reading of the record as "All in favor."
