Torsey Pond is the first major body of water within the limits of the Cobbossee Watershed District. This watershed consists of all the land that contributes water to the major bodies connected bodies of water with its bounds. These major bodies of water are sequentially: Torsey Pond, Maranacook Lake, Lake Annabessacook, and Cobbosseecontee Lake (which connect with Pleasant pond via the Cobbosseecontee Stream and then further to the Kennebec River at Gardiner). The many smaller ponds, streams and brooks that contribute to these bodies of water all affect the quality and quantity of the water in them.

The Cobbossee Watershed District:

Since all waters within the bounds of the watershed flow into its major bodies of water, it is a function of the law of gravity that many substances from the land surrounding the watershed will eventually be carried into the waters of the watershed. This can have major negative effects on the quality of the water in these waters. It is not only shoreline land use that affects the quality of the water in Torsey Pond; land use anywhere within the bounds of that portion of the Watershed District surrounding Torsey Pond will have an effect on the health of the pond.

The District charter was established by the Maine Legislature in 1971; it was then ratified by the following cities and towns having streams and bodies of water contributing to the watershed: Augusta, Gardiner, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Richmond, Wayne and Winthrop. The entire district includes 240 square miles, 22 dams, some 17-29 lakes and ponds (depending on accepted standards of size) and 13 towns in 2 counties that directly affect the watershed drainage system.