The York Water District uses Chase’s Pond, a long, narrow and shallow pond as the sole source of supply for the Town of York and has since 1896. Located just west of I-95, Chase’s Pond forms the headwaters of the Cape Neddick River. Much of the water in Chase’s Pond arrives from the south facing slope of Mount Agamenticus most of which the District owns. The entire watershed area is about 2090 acres. The District owns 1840 acres or 88% of the watershed. The Chase’s Pond Watershed Area is bordered by Scituate and Chase’s Pond Roads to the south, Mountain Road to the east and Kittery Water Districts Folly and Middle pond watershed areas to the west.
The Town of York is a fast growing coastal community. York’s miles of clean sandy beaches have made it a popular tourist destination but most recently, the small town atmosphere, good schools, and close proximity to Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts has pushed the town into a residential building boom.
With the increase in residential development comes the loss of open space. This loss of open space is not just a Town of York problem but also a regional issue. Southern Maine and New Hampshire seacoast communities are rapidly losing open space. In response to increased recreational use of the watershed, spawned by the increased development and loss of open space, the District commissioned a Watershed Management Plan. This plan considered the growing demands of recreation and other uses of the watershed and provided a summary of current conditions and recommendations for projects that will protect, maintain, and enhance the quality of thewater from Chase's Pond Watershed. The District places highest prior
on continuing to implement comprehensive watershed management practices that will meet the goals and objectives
recommended by the plan.

    
     The District allows LIMITED RECREATIONAL USE of the watershed area.  This means that while the District allows certain recreational activities to take place on watershed property, other activities should not, and will not, be tolerated on this privately held land.  York Water District is now a recognized leader in watershed management and source water protection within the Maine drinking water industry.  This can be partially attributed to a very strong partnership between York Water District and Kittery Water District.  The fact that together, the Districts own a total of 6 ponds all in the town of York makes this a unique situation and opportunity for collaboration.  Between the two Districts, nearly 5000 acres of heavily wooded land surrounding these ponds is owned, maintained, and protected.  Adjacent to the District’s owned land and surrounding Mount Agamenticus is another 4,000 to 5,000 acres of conservation land set aside as open space by several conservation groups as well as the Town of York, Town of South Berwick and the State of Maine.

    Having such a large preserved open area in a region where there is rapid development has made York a popular destination for many different outdoor enthusiasts. With this came problems that York Water District could not ignore.  Late in the 1990s York Water District (YWD) recognized the ever-increasing activity in the watershed and began patrolling the watershed using a John Deere Gator mostly cleaning up trash and illegal campsites.  In 2000 YWD began patrolling by mountain bike in “plain clothes” and keeping detailed records of patrols and activities.  Patrols were expanded to evenings and weekends during times and days most likely to find people using the area. The District continued to document people’s activities so trends could be plotted over time.

     
    In 2002 the patrol person was made identifiable as a Water District employee by incorporating York Water District Watershed Patrol wording on clothes and public education became a new part of this job.  At this time, the patrol person began actively seeking to communicate with the people that were using the area explaining whose property it was and letting them know if their activity was acceptable or not.  Property line signs and other markers went up on every trail as it entered the watershed with an additional sign listing unacceptable activities. An educational Watershed Brochure was produced explaining what a watershed is, listing the unacceptable activities and showing a map of property lines, trails, and closed areas.The brochures were made available in trail boxes located at all watershed entrance gates.  In 2004 watershed patrols took another important evolutionary step.

    The primary patrol person completed training to become a Town of York Reserve Police Officer giving this position new authority.  Patrols of the property are now completed by a Police Officer who is in constant contact by cell phone or 2-way radio with the dispatch center for York Police.

    People using this watershed area often pass back and forth from York Water District to the adjacent Kittery Water District.  The Districts therefore share the same visitors, the same activities, and the same problems.There have been many cooperative efforts in both watersheds over the years.

     In 2004 the York Water District patrol person began patrolling the Kittery Water District watersheds in the same manner as theYork Water District Watershed Patrols. Watershed Brochures have been adjusted to show the York Water District, Kittery Water District and York Police Department partnership. The rules listed in the brochure are discussed and agreed on before being added to the brochure so that there is uniformity as you pass from one property to the other. All of the data compiled from these watershed patrols over the years has helped the York Water District (and Kittery Water District) make better and more informed decisions as we continue to manage Chase’s Pond and the Chase’s Pond Watershed area.