The noted folksinger, Peter Seger, spoke of thinking globally but acting locally on behalf of the greater good. Janet Slack certainly exemplifies this perspective, having become a champion on behalf of the vital preservation of her Little Sebago Lake in the State of Maine. Having begun her career as an environmental scientist, Janet Slack is now returning to these environmental roots having spent many years as a highly successful professional coach. She now engages her coaching strategy in advocating for measures that will improve the quality of water in her lake and the environment that surrounds this lake. Following is an interview conducted by Bill Bergquist with Janet that concerns her coach-based role in working with other members of her community:
Some background information regarding Little Lake Sebago is provided.
Basic Facts About the Lake
First some information about the lake:
Little Sebago Lake
Gray, Windham, Cumberland, Maine
| Area (acres): | 2009 |
| Perimeter (miles): | 30.7 |
| Mean Depth (feet): | 16 |
| Max Depth (feet): | 52 |
| Delorme Page: | 5 |
| Fishery Type: | Coldwater + Warmwater |
| Invasive Aquatic Plant Infestation: | Variable-leaf milfoil (confirmed 2001) |
Other Lake & Watershed Information
| % 500-m buffer in natural land cover: | 85 |
| % 500-m buffer in agricultural land cover: | 0 |
| % 500-m buffer in developed land cover: | 14 |
| % 500-m buffer covered by impervious surface: | 1.7 |
| Number of dams on the lake: | 1 |
| Lake elevation (m): | 87 |
| Length of shoreline (m): | 41,644 |
| Shoreline “irregularity index” *: | 4.12 |
Human History of the Lake
A bit of brief, interesting history regarding the lake and its inhabitants:
Though the lake may seem idyllic and far from any industrial uses today, it was the site of two man-made disasters that altered the geography of North Windham. Massive dam failures and washouts wreaked havoc all the way to Casco Bay. A river actually flowed backward under the influx of water.
It may surprise many to learn that the S.D. Warren Co., well known for manipulating big Sebago Lake, also had a major hand in Little Sebago’s history. Little Sebago used to flow into Big Sebago but now flows through a network of two small ponds — Mill Pond and Collins Pond — that were once part of a much larger Little Sebago Lake.
With a water level currently much lower than its original state, Little Sebago is now part of the Pleasant River watershed.
“Little Sebago used to have an outlet in the southwest corner of the middle section,” said Philpot. “It drained into the Sebago Lake Basin. Pettengill and Chaffin ponds drained into it as well.”
The rearranging began in 1814 with the first washout, called “the great freshet.”
“After the Revolution was a time of progress,” said Philpot. “Mills sprung up practically everywhere. All a mill required was a bend in the river or a ledge. There were approximately four mills along the Pleasant River before 1814.”
One mill, owned by Edward Anderson, suffered from a lack of waterpower. The audacious Anderson took it upon himself to remedy the situation by tracing his mill’s water source up to North Windham. From the Pleasant River, he followed Smith Brook, a small spring-fed stream, up to the shore of Little Sebago Lake, which was separated from a natural valley directly to its south by a small berm of earth. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Anderson decided to increase the flow of Smith Brook by digging out this berm of earth, allowing some of Little Sebago’s water to flow down the valley to enlarge the tiny Smith Brook and supply his mill.
His plan worked. The new waterway passes under Varney Mill Road today and became what is now called Ditch Brook. Years ago, two mills were actually built here to take advantage of the new waterway.
However, events of June 14, 1814, including a period of very high water, causing Little Sebago Lake to rise, a dam to give way and Ditch Brook to become a raging torrent. The new mills were torn from their foundations and sent hurtling in a wall of water toward the Pleasant River. With his ditch digging, Anderson had actually set the stage for his own mill’s demise.