Submitted: The Two Sides Team September 24, 2013

A new blog launched by Sappi Fine Paper North American aims to inform fishing and boating enthusiasts about their best days to get on Sebago Lake and the Presumpscot River.

via American Journal – September 19, 2013

A new blog launched by Sappi Fine Paper North American aims to inform fishing and boating enthusiasts about their best days to get on Sebago Lake and the Presumpscot River.

"There are different interests on the lake and what its level is, but we didn't have a real clear way to communicate to everybody what the level of the lake was or what the flow in Presumpscot River was going to be, other than an email. It [the email list] got absolutely huge, almost unmanageable," said Brad Goulet, Sappi's manager of hydroelectric facilities and the person who updates the blog.

"We've been talking for a while about creating a website or creating a blog, which would allow us to publicize what the current level of the lake is, what modifications we're going to make to the outflows from the lake, where we fell in relations to the targets in the plan [that mandates water levels for the year]," he said.

The blog includes information on water level and speed, as well as photos of various river sights.

Goulet manages the six hydroelectric stations owned by Sappi that run along the Presumpscot River, starting at Sebago Lake. His job is to make sure the water levels match what is needed along the waterway according to a master plan. He does this by opening gates along the Sebago Basin Spillway, but he must also contend with Mother Nature, who doesn't always co-operate with the master plan.

Goulet controls the water levels on the waterway by letting water out of the lake through gates. About once a week, Goulet changes how much water is being released from the spillway. If it's been a rainy week, he'll decrease the flow. If it's been a hot week, he increases it. When he makes a change, he will post it on the blog.

He said he hears from a number of fishermen that they check his updates before determining whether to fish that day.

Sappi isn't required to release the information on the water levels and flow speed, he said, but it's less cumbersome than the email list.

The blog is still in its initial phases of the launch and there are still changes to be made. Goulet wants to add a map, create icons for the page and polish up the blog in general. He also wants the page to be more interactive with the communities and other organizations along the river that are interested in the water levels.

For example, earlier this summer, Goulet suggested Westbrook officials post signs closing its floating docks and ramps along the Presumpscot River after a particularly rainy week. Goulet would like to see that information posted on his new blog, as well as the city's website and at the docks themselves.

The blog can be at presumpscotriver.tumblr.

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