From the Planning Board:

Words to ponder: No Aquifer = No Island!

The Planning Board has begun working thru high level goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The first goal we’re addressing is protection of the aquifer on Great Chebeague Island. As you may know, we have one aquifer on the island from which all wells draw water; this means it’s very important to the viability of our community that we protect that aquifer.

After our recent public workshop on Protecting the Aquifer we’ve outlined 4 major areas to address:

· Septic systems

· Oil tanks

· Pesticides, herbicides, and hazardous chemicals

· Leakage from cars & trucks (especially those no longer in use – “junk cars”)

Our efforts will focus, for now, on education regarding these topics, and, in some cases, improving our database of information (septic systems and wells come to mind). Look for future write-ups on these topics in this space in the months ahead. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let any of the Planning Board members know. And thanks, in advance, for your help in protecting Chebeague’s aquifer.

The Planning Board is: Jane Frizzell, Nancy Hill, Kyle Koerber (vice chair), Danny Malloy, Caitlin Bowman, and Bob Earnest (chair), and Chip Corson.