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Otter Pond

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.

Fishing

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.

  • Lake Surface

    90 acres
  • Watershed

    790 acres
  • Max. Depth

    21 feet
  • Elevation

    392 feet

Water Quality: 2021

Otter Pond is sampled by LEA once per year in August. The long-term average reflects data from 1996 to 2021. The Secchi disk reading for 2021 was 4.4 meters, which falls into the moderate clarity range. The total phosphorus reading of 10.0 ppb falls into the moderate range. The deep water phosphorus value was not significantly above surface water phosphorus values, which suggests phosphorus recycling is not problematic. The chlorophyll reading of 4.0 ppb falls into the moderate range. Long-term trend analysis indicates chlorophyll concentrations are decreasing, total phosphorus concentrations are stable, and clarity readings are increasing. The color reading for 2021 was 40 SPU, indicating that water in Otter Pond is highly colored.

2021 Water-testing summary

 

Otter Pond’s 2021 Quick Stats

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 2021’s average value.

2021 average vs. long-term average

  • Clarity: Otter Pond's 2021 average water clarity was within the 'moderate clarity' range. Otter Pond's long-term clarity trend is increasing, indicating deeper clarity readings over time.
  • Chlorophyll: Otter Pond's 2021 average chlorophyll concentration was within the 'moderate' range. Otter Pond's long-term chlorophyll trend is decreasing, indicating that there is less chlorophyll in the water over time.
  • Phosphorous: Otter Pond’s 2021 average phosphorus concentration was within the 'moderate' range. Deep water phosphorus values were not significantly above surface water phosphorus values indicating that phosphorus recycling was not an issue for Otter-Pond in 2021. Otter Pond's long term total phosphorus trend is stable, indicating neither more nor less phosphorus in the water over time.

    Watershed Soils

    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.

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