A silver 2002 Dodge Ram is currently at the bottom of Damariscotta Lake and removing it will not be easy, Maine Game Warden Joey Lefebvre said. The truck, owned by Norman Palmer, fell through the ice on Damariscotta Lake Feb. 2, Lefebvre said.
According to the Maine statute regarding submerged motor vehicles, snowmobiles, and watercraft in state waters, Palmer will have 30 days to remove the vehicle after ice on the lake melts. If he fails to do so, Lefebvre said, he will be in violation of the law and reported to the district attorney’s office.
It is up to the court to determine the fine for the civil violation, Lefebvre said.
Palmer has been in steady contact with the Maine Warden Service to share his plan for the truck’s removal, a complicated project due to the truck’s distance from the public landing on Vannah Road, Lefebvre said.
The truck is approximately 3/4-mile from the Vannah Road landing.
If Palmer waits for the ice to thaw, Lefebvre said, removal of the truck will become even more difficult.
The truck came to the attention of law enforcement on Feb. 1 when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip that people had fallen through the ice on Damariscotta Lake, Nobleboro Fire Chief Ryan Gallagher said at the time. The sheriff’s office, Nobleboro Fire Department, and Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service responded to the call.
No individuals had fallen through the ice, however, two trucks were found stuck in slush on Damariscotta Lake.
According to Lefebvre, Palmer drove onto the ice to pull out a friend’s truck and got his truck stuck in the process. Palmer returned in the morning to find his truck fully submerged in Damariscotta Lake.
Any negative impact on the lake due to pollution would have occurred within 24 hours of the truck’s submersion, Garrison Beck, program director for the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, said. Further pollution could be caused when the truck is removed, Beck said.
Beck said the association advocated caution in the removal process. “We understand the best outcome now is for the truck to be removed,” Beck said.
Palmer is trying to find a diver and a bulldozer to haul the truck out of the lake, Lefebvre said. Palmer will need the permission of a private property owner close to the location of the truck to remove it.
If Palmer waits for the ice to thaw to remove the truck, he will have to arrange for a diver to attach air bags to it and float it out, a process which will be much harder than towing it out while the lake is still frozen, Lefebvre said.
“He’s got quite a project ahead of him,” Lefebvre said.
According to an ice safety pamphlet created by the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, heavy layers of snow may insulate ice and make it thinner in some spots. Individuals who drive on ice are encouraged to constantly check the thickness of ice, which could change significantly in different locations on the same body of water.
Palmer did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
