ST. ALBANS — Preservation ofthe lake and the quality of life itprovides is the motivating factor behind the new Big Indian Lake Association. According to association President Merlon Emery, development around the lake has created more year-round homes and people spending more time onthe lake.

“We don’t want to be readingabout this in a few years like ChinaLake or Sebasticook Lake,” Emery said. “As property owners, we are concerned about what’s going to happen to the lake for the rest of our lives and for the next generation.

For the past month, 11 board

members have been working to organize the new association and plan for its development. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, a general information meeting will be held at the St. Albans Town Hall for St. Albans and Ripley residents in the watershed area, and for lakeshore property owners. Letters have been sent to 250 property owners in thearea asking them to join the association. Many people have expressed their support for the association, Emery said.

In a recent survey, St. Albansresidents indicated that they preferred the small-town atmosphere of the area and hoped it could be maintained, Emery said.

“To retain some of that atmosphere, it goes hand-in-hand with preserving the lake, its natural beauty and unique quality,” he said.

The town recently enacted a revised shoreland zoning ordinance.

“We now have strong protective ordinances to assist the town administration preserving the lake. As an association, we don’t want to be involved in the administration, enforcement or regulation of any of that. What we want to do is educate and inform the people how they can work to preserve the lake quality,” he said.

The first in a series of water-quality tests began Thursday. In years past, Emery said, sporadic water-quality tests were completed voluntarily. With the assistanceof the association and the Department of Environmental Protection, he said, baseline data on water quality can be accumulatedto monitor changes in the lake.

In Thursday’s tests, water clarity was better than average, but there was some oxygen depletion in the deepest parts of the lake, about 30 feet. With a full evaluationby the DEP, he said, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be able determine fish population and prepare a stockingplan. The lake already supports agood bass population, Emery said.

The association’s preliminary plans include educational and environmental projects, community programs and outings for local property owners and schoolchildren, and emphasis on the importance of preserving lake.

“We need to make the next generation aware of the lake and itsdependence on the people. I was born and brought up here. This lake offers a great resource for recreational activity, and it’s agreat asset to the community.”

Membership in the association isopen to property owners and resi dents of St. Albans and Ripley. Associate memberships will be available for non-voting members who use the lake for recreational purposes. For more information on the new association, call Emery at 938-2396 or membership chairman Robert Caldwell at 938-2321.