Our local water supply; it should be everyone’s concern, especially Poland Springs

Hello to all townspeople in the Sacopee and Lake Region areas...

Throughout my 23 years in Baldwin, I have noticed a significant increase in water removal by Poland Spring in many of our neighboring towns. While Baldwin and some of our surrounding towns here are not affected yet, Poland Spring’s continued removal of groundwater raises serious questions about what this means for the future of our lakes, wells, and aquifers. While there are limited reports on what Poland Spring actually does remove from Denmark (have not looked into Fryeburg), it seems that in the past 3 years PS has removed 65 million gallons in 2023, 69 million gallons in 2024, and in 2025 (the last report I can find), almost 90 million gallons of water. Keeping in mind, we have been in a drought!

I attended a meeting on August 18, 2026, in Denmark, where Poland Spring just ignored all of the concerns the townspeople raised regarding Long Pond and their wells and neighboring waters. As a fisherman and water enthusiast, I find this greatly disturbing. While my well in Baldwin is OK, I have run out of water on occasion from overuse. This is a concern as I have a small horse farm, and lots of animals and could not afford a new well. For many residents in Fryeburg and Denmark, concerns about their wells and water supply are already a reality. Drying out happens often, their ground water is depleted, yet the trucks continue to remove more and more water.

After the meeting on Tuesday, I became frustrated at what a company like Poland Spring has done to our Maine towns. Poland Spring has offered donations and free bottled water to town offices, and residents have also raised concerns about the legal and financial resources available to a company of this size. How can any town win against that conglomerate? So, I'm still investigating, even offering to help Denmark find some lost records from Poland Spring, and will not give up. Next meeting is September 8, 2026, at 6pm, but I believe the townspeople are not allowed to speak or question.

We need action at the legislative level to strengthen oversight of large-scale water extraction in Maine. Our lakes, rivers, aquifers and wells cannot handle the constant removal of a resource that is NOT self-renewed by rainwater any longer in Maine.

Please reach out if you have your own views and concerns as I will continue to publish my findings and tribulations in the next coming months.

Concerned about our water,

Cassie Dove PhD – Baldwin, Maine 207 413 8513

Source: Cassie Dove