Holt Pond, located six miles south of Bridgton and four miles east of Naples, was one of the last ponds in the Lakes Region to remain free of shoreline development. The Lakes Environmental Association bought the first 26 acres of the Holt Pond Preserve in 1973, only three years after LEA was founded. LEA and the Loon Echo Land Trust have now preserved more than 700 acres of wetlands, forests, fields and streams. The goal of the Holt Pond Preserve is to protect habitat and provide a place for visitors to learn about the importance of watershed conservation. Visitors enjoy an extensive network of boardwalks and trails throughout the preserve.
Holt Pond is considered to be an excellent water for management of warmwater fisheries. The surface is largely covered by floating vegetation and provides excellent habitat for largemouth bass and chain pickerel.
Holt Pond is sampled by LEA once per year in August. The long-term average reflects data from 2000 to 2020. The Secchi disk reading for 2020 was 2.75 meters, fell into the low clarity range, and was less than the long-term average of 2.94 meters. The Secchi disk did not hit the bottom in 2020 but has in years past, indicating that average Secchi Depth may not be a reliable indicator of historic water clarity. The total phosphorus reading of 13.00 ppb fell into the high range and was less than the long-term average of 13.15 ppb. The average deep water phosphorus value was not significantly above surface water phosphorus values, which suggests phosphors recycling is not problematic. The chlorophyll-a reading of 7.00 ppb fell into the moderate range and was higher than the long-term average of 3.99 ppb. Long-term trend analysis indicates chlorophyll–a concentrations in Holt Pond are stable and total phosphorus concentrations are stable. The color reading for 2020 was 70 SPU, indicating that water in Holt Pond is very highly colored.
Holt Pond’s 2020 Quick Stats
Holt 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 Holt Pond. The line represents the long-term average value and the dot represents 2020’s average value.
4 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.
2 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.
74 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.
7 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.
10 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 2 percent of the watershed is taken up by the pond.
