Crystal Lake, originally called Anonymous Pond, is the only lake completely within the borders of Harrison. Mill Stream, which is the outlet of the lake, provided early village settlers with power to run both a grist and saw mill. Today, excellent public access and good water quality make Crystal Lake a favorite spot for swimming, fishing and boating.
Crystal Lake is annually stocked with brook trout and landlocked salmon from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. These coldwater fish find good habitat in the lake’s cool and well-oxygenated deep waters. In addition, healthy bass populations, white perch, yellow perch, hornpout and chain pickerel are also found within Crystal’s waters.
The average Secchi disk reading for 2022 was 6.3 meters which falls into the moderately clear range. The average total phosphorus reading of 6.0 ppb falls into the moderate range. The average deep water phosphorus value was not significantly above surface water phosphorus values, which suggests phosphorus recycling is not problematic. The chlorophyll-a average of 1.9 ppb falls into the low range. Long-term trend analysis indicates chlorophyll–a concentrations in Crystal Lake are stable, total phosphorus concentrations are decreasing, and clarity readings are decreasing. The average color reading for 2022 was 29.0 SPU, indicating that water in Crystal Lake is highly colored. Although low oxygen conditions were observed in deep water, suitable coldwater fish habitat was present throughout the testing season.
Crystal Lake’s surface water chlorophyll (ppb), phosphorus (ppb), and Secchi depth (meters) data comparison. Colored areas represent the long-term range of values, from minimum to maximum. Area thickness indicates frequency of measurements at that value. Area thickness increases as more measurements are reported at that value. The vertical black line represents the long-term average value. The large red dot represents 2021’s average value. The small red dots represent individual readings taken in 2021.
13 percent of soils in the watershed are type A soils. Type A soils tend to be well drained sands, loams and gravels. When vegetation is removed and the soil is exposed they can be susceptible to erosion. Because they are often coarse with ample pore space, there is low runoff potential and water will not usually pool on them. These soils can be good places to site leach fields or infiltrate stormwater from a home or residence.
3 percent of soils in the watershed are type B soils. B soils have moderate infiltration rates and fine to moderate texture and soil size. They are usually made up silts and loams. Although not as well drained as A soils, they can also be good places to site leach fields and infiltrate stormwater.
67 percent of soils in the watershed are type C soils. C soils have low infiltration rates and typically have a layer that impedes the movement of water. These soils are made of sands, clays and loams and are one of the most common soil types in western Maine.
1 percent of soils in the watershed are type D soils. D soils have a high runoff potential and very low infiltration rates. Soils with a high water table, clay or other impervious layer near the surface are typically D soils. These soils are often associated with wetlands.
8 percent of soils in the watershed are type C/D soils. C/D soils are a mix of these two soil types. They have fairly high runoff potential and low infiltration rates and often pool water.
The remaining 8 percent of the watershed is taken up by the lake.
