There was an article in yesterday’s Kennebec Journal by staff writer Paul Koenig providing a welcome update on the current circumstances surrounding the Clary Lake water level order. It is nice to see the KJ keeping this issue before the public, rather than letting it fade into obscurity. Paul Kelley was quoted as saying that mediation is to start at the end of this month and that the process is likely to extend into August: “My hope is that all the parties see that the best solution is no longer to fight this but to try to see if there is some constructive solution.” Nonetheless, the spokeswoman for the department said the DEP still expects the dam owner to begin maintaining the higher water levels by Oct. 1. Here’s a link to the article:

• Clary Lake dam owner and state still at odds

If anyone has trouble getting the article off the newspaper site, I’ve saved a local copy:

• [archived copy] Clary Lake dam owner and state still at odds

I was briefly interviewed by phone but I didn’t have a lot to say. The article does not mention whether the spokesperson for the Clary Lake Petitioners and/or the Clary Lake Association (as intervenors in the petition) will be asked to participate in the mediation. While I was quoted as saying that I don’t expect anything to come from mediation, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be willing to join in the process.

FYI, the next deadline for Paul July 27th when he has to resubmit his Water Level Survey (which was also deemed “unsatisfactory”) and then by August 1st he is supposed to have completed repairs to the dam, and installed a water level gauge.

The article also mentions the Branch Pond water level order and the recent letter from the Coombs. It remains to be seen how or if the Department chooses to respond to their “declaration.”