Our 16th Annual Paddle Trek will be held on Saturday, July 26th!

Join us for all or just a part of this 15-mile paddle from Mt. Vernon Village to Wayne Village, traveling along many of the lakes and streams that form the “30 Mile River.”

Thanks to our generous event sponsor, we’re offering FREE Paddle Trek t-shirts to everyone who registers by Tuesday, July 10th. T-shirts will be available for pick-up at the event.

Registration closes on Thursday, July 24th at 11:59PM.

We cannot accommodate same-day registration.

This was the first year that the Lake Protection Coalition (LPC), of which 30 Mile is a founding member, coordinated efforts as a group, tracking and advocating for key bills across committees, and building momentum for lake-friendly policy. Below is a recap of some of the successes this session. Thanks to all who helped advocate for this legislation! 

LD 1763 – Prohibit Non-Water Dependent Floating Structures

This bill bans floating structures that aren’t functionally water-dependent—like floating camps—helping protect Maine's lakes and coastal waters from inappropriate development.

✅ Signed into law by the Governor. A major win for lake and coastal stewardship.

LD 1550 – Update Septic Rules to Protect Water Quality

Ensures septic systems are better designed in vulnerable soils, helping towns avoid costly groundwater contamination and long-term cleanup liabilities.

✅ Signed by the Governor. A key water quality and municipal health win.

LD 173 – Exempt Small Motorized Watercraft from Registration

Proposed removing registration requirements for small boats—raising concerns about enforcement and revenue loss.

✅ Died after hard-fought floor debate, which is a win for clean lakes.

LD 171 – Enhance Protections Against Invasive Aquatic Plants

Requires DEP and IFW to improve inspection and notification protocols in infested inland waters—reducing invasive spread and future mitigation costs.

✅ Passed House and Senate, went into law without the Governor's signature.

Photos: 30 Mile’s Board of Directors had its first meeting in the new space earlier this month.

If your bath routine includes any soap, biodegradable or not, it should not be done in a lake, pond, or stream. 

Soaps negatively impact the water's chemistry and harm aquatic life. They often contain ingredients that break the water’s surface tension. This in turn reduces dissolved oxygen levels, harming fish and other aquatic life. Additionally, some soaps contain phosphorus, the biggest factor in algae growth in lakes.

Whether it is non-toxic, biodegradable, or all-natural, if it’s a soap, it should not be brought into the water. Even those labeled safe for the environment don’t belong in the lake. According to the EPA, one ounce of biodegradable soap needs 20,000 ounces of water to be diluted enough to be safe for fish. 

To keep our waters healthy, wash with soap in your camps or homes. If you need to use soap outdoors, use it sparingly, and ensure you dispose of wash water at least 200 feet away from a lake or stream

How vulnerable are our lakes and ponds to pollution from septic systems? Join septic experts, lake scientists, and other watershed residents for this FREE event to learn the answer to the above question and more! Open to ALL watershed residents.

Topics Include:

• Septic design & function
• Proper care & maintenance
• Results of local septic vulnerability study
• Impacts to lake water quality
• Q&A session – bring your questions!

Don’t know much about this topic? Visit our Septic System Vulnerability Study page for more information. 

To register, please visit our website.

This event is hosted by the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Committee and 30 Mile. Funding for this project, in part, was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.  The funding is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with EPA.

Last Friday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated and additional freshwater fish consumption advisories following ongoing PFAS testing of water bodies across the state by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Androscoggin Lake is one of 25 water bodies that has PFAS levels above the recommended limit.  Read here for more information.

Image: The Maine CDC recommends consuming no more than one meal per month of black crappie from Androscoggin Lake. Source.