Songo Beach, Sebago Lake State Park

Sebago Lake, Maine's second largest lake, is located 20 miles northwest of Portland. It is heavily used for recreational purposes including swimming, boating, and fishing. It serves as a public water supply for approximately 160,000 people in the Portland area. The lake and associated wetlands provide habitat for a variety of wildlife.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Shoreline changes at Sebago Lake have been under observation by Maine Geological Survey staff since 1990. Transient seasonal changes have been documented at all of the lake's sand beaches and the processes causing those changes identified. The photos shown above were all taken on Songo Beach in Sebago Lake State Park. In Figure 1, taken on April 6, 1996, the white material on the beach is the remnants of winter ice. The effects of ice push can be seen in the bulldozed sand pile. In Figure 2, taken on August 4, 1993, the broad summer beach is visible. Figure 3, taken on November 22, 1996, shows storm damage from a low pressure system that came through the region while lake levels were abnormally high from a previous storm that dropped upwards of a foot of water. Recently, a report entitled Sebago Lake Shoreline Change Studies was presented to the Portland Water District. This report described the methods and results of a two-year shoreline change study at Sebago Lake.

Songo Beach, Sebago Lake State Park

Related links