SUN JOURNAL • May 6, 2023
Branch Lake in Ellsworth, which is both a first-class sport fishery and a water supply for Ellsworth residents, is at a record low level. Camp owners have insufficient water to put in their docks. A state fisheries biologist is concerned that the precipitously low water levels could have a negative impact on lake trout and smelt spawning. What’s going on? The earthen banks (dikes) and metal sheathing to the right of the concrete spillway dam at the outlet of the lake are leaking and in danger of breaching altogether. If a temporary mid-June fix buys time and the lake levels return to some semblance of normal, Ellsworth is still not out of the woods. The dam that has been largely neglected for years and a major restructuring of both the dam and the adjoining earthen dikes is required. This will mean municipal outlays in excess of $100,000. ~ V. Paul Reynolds