Otter Pond is located just south of the Town of Bridgton. The pond is lightly developed with camps, despite its proximity to town and the seasonal popularity of this area. It is interesting to note that the pond has two outlets, one at each end, which both drain into Long Lake.
This relatively shallow pond is homothermous with a fair amount of weedy habitat, which makes it best suited for warmwater fish management. Fisheries biologists at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife introduced largemouth bass in 1958 and 1959 to enhance angling opportunities. The bass population is now self-sustaining and provides good fishing. Chain pickerel are also abundant and provide additional angling excitement.
Otter Pond is sampled by LEA once per year in August. The long-term average reflects data from 1996 to 2022. The Secchi disk reading for 2022 was 5.8 meters, which falls into the moderate clarity range. The total phosphorus reading of 12.0 ppb falls into the moderate range. The deep water phosphorus value was greater than 10 ppb above average surface water phosphorus values, which suggests phosphorus recycling may be problematic. The chlorophyll-a reading of 3.0 ppb falls into the moderate range. Long-term trend analysis indicates chlorophyll-a concentrations are decreasing, total phosphorus concentrations are stable, and clarity readings are increasing. The color reading for 2022 was 41.0 SPU, indicating that water in Otter Pond is highly colored.
Otter Pond’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 2022’s average value.
9 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.
A trace percentage 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.
66 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.
14 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.
2 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 10 percent of the watershed is taken up by the pond.
