Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences teamed up in 2023 for a three-year study of PFAS in Casco Bay. These “forever chemicals” are found in everything from camping gear to food wrappers, and we suspected they might show up in marine waters, too. We didn’t know our first year of sampling would lay the foundation for understanding a looming crisis.
By 2024, we planned to monitor 70 water sites and 45 sediment sites. That changed after a massive spill of firefighting foam in Brunswick in August 2024 sent PFAS into Harpswell Cove. Suddenly, our study had a new urgency. We added six more sites, increased testing, and coordinated with Maine DEP. Here is a peek behind the scenes through the eyes of two key researchers.
On the Bay for Friends: Heather Kenyon
For Science and Advocacy Associate Heather Kenyon, a typical sampling day starts with choosing a PFAS-free outfit—usually cotton chinos and a cotton sweatshirt. As our organization’s lead for this study, Heather coordinates site selection, logistics, supplies, and more, but hauling buckets is her specialty. Dozens of times a day, she swirls and tosses seawater to remove traces of the last site, then she pours the official sample into a special bottle.
Sediment sampling is tougher. Heather carefully lowers a 20-pound steel grab, just hoping it will land flat. Sometimes it takes seven tries. “My arms were like noodles,” she says. The work is repetitive and meticulous, but every step builds trust in the data.
Back at the Lab: Hannah Sterling
At Bigelow Laboratory, Research Technician Hannah Sterling transfers samples from cooler to freezer, then prepares them for analysis. Using solid phase extraction, she concentrates PFAS from each half-liter of water into five milliliters of methanol. That tiny vial is then analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, which separates and identifies 40 individual PFAS compounds.
The Brunswick results were staggering. “Some field samples were pure firefighting foam,” Hannah said. “We’re used to working with very low PFAS levels, so these were far beyond what we usually see. We had to adapt our entire lab process quickly to handle them and still get results out as fast as possible.” The samples even contaminated lab equipment, delaying results and frustrating the team.
A Clearer Picture. And Hope
Because the study began before the spill, the team could track PFAS as it moved from Mere Brook into Casco Bay. Levels in Harpswell Cove returned to pre-spill levels after three months. Few studies have tracked PFAS in marine systems this way.
“It’s been great to work with Friends of Casco Bay. Their resources and local ties helped us share results with the community,” Hannah says. For Heather, the real strength of the project lies in partnership. “Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow each bring different strengths. Together we can tackle questions neither of us could answer alone.”
Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca is seeing how this work is making a difference. “Our data helped shape PFAS policies at the statehouse, protecting Casco Bay from future spills and giving the community a stronger voice.”
