Beaver Pond is a beautiful, shallow waterbody located at the southern base of Pleasant Mountain. It is broken up by three small islands, which provide interesting habitat to explore in a canoe or kayak. The rocky, southwest ridge of Pleasant Mountain towers on the northern side of the pond and provides a dramatic backdrop for a day on the water. In the height of the summer, freshwater jellyfish can sometimes be found in great abundance swimming in the pond’s waters.
Because of Beaver Pond’s shallow depth , it does not provide suitable habitat for coldwater fish. Largemouth bass were introduced by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in 1960, and they now provide a self-sustaining fishery. Perch, pickerel, and bullhead also provide angling opportunity. Minnows, creek chubsucker, fallfish, white sucker and pumpkinseed sunfish are also found within Beaver Pond’s waters.
Denmark’s Beaver Pond is sampled by LEA once per year in August. The long-term average reflects data from 1997 to 2020. The Secchi disk reading for 2020 was 2.00 meters and was less than the long-term average of 2.58 meters. The Secchi disk did hit the bottom, indicating that Secchi depth is not a reliable indicator of water clarity. The total phosphorus reading of 9.00 ppb fell into the moderate range and was less than the long-term average of 11.96 ppb. The chlorophyll-a reading of 3.00 ppb fell into the moderate range and was higher than the long-term average of 2.92 ppb. Long-term trend analysis indicates chlorophyll–a concentrations in Beaver Pond are stable and total phosphorus concentrations are stable. The color reading for 2020 was 20 SPU, indicating that water in Denmark’s Beaver Pond is moderately colored.
Beaver (Denmark) Pond’s 2020 Quick Stats
Beaver Pond surface water chlorophyll, phosphorus, and Secchi depth data summary Colored boxes represent the long-term range of values, from minimum to maximum, obtained on Beaver Pond. The line represents the long-term average value and the dot represents 2020’s average value.
21 percent of soils in the watershed are type A soils. Type A soils tend to be well drained sands, loams and gravels. When vegetation is removed and the soil is exposed they can be susceptible to erosion. Because they are often coarse with ample pore space, there is low runoff potential and water will not usually pool on them. These soils can be good places to site leach fields or infiltrate stormwater from a home or residence.
26 percent of soils in the watershed are type B soils. B soils have moderate infiltration rates and fine to moderate texture and soil size. They are usually made up silts and loams. Although not as well drained as A soils, they can also be good places to site leach fields and infiltrate stormwater.
26 percent of soils in the watershed are type C soils. C soils have low infiltration rates and typically have a layer that impedes the movement of water. These soils are made of sands, clays and loams and are one of the most common soil types in western Maine.
16 percent of soils in the watershed are type D soils. D soils have a high runoff potential and very low infiltration rates. Soils with a high water table, clay or other impervious layer near the surface are typically D soils. These soils are often associated with wetlands.
5 percent of soils in the watershed are type C/D soils. C/D soils are a mix of these two soil types. They have fairly high runoff potential and low infiltration rates and often pool water.
The remaining 6 percent of the watershed is taken up by the pond.
