FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 9, 2022

Contact:

Robby Lewis-Nash, Staff Writer

Friends of Casco Bay

(413) 695-3306, robbylewisnash [at] cascobay [dot] org

Casco Bay Heats Up

30 years of temperature data show waters in Casco Bay are warming rapidly

South Portland, ME: Casco Bay is warming rapidly, according to a 30-year data set collected by Friends of Casco Bay. Temperatures in the Bay have warmed 3°F on average since 1993. At a rate of 1°F per decade, the warming trend suggests the nearshore environment in Maine’s most populated region will continue to see dramatic changes in the coming years.

“This rise in water temperature marks an enormous shift,” says Mike Doan, Staff Scientist with Friends of Casco Bay. “It’s a stark reminder that climate change is altering the Bay in a fundamental way. And not only is the temperature increasing, but the rate of increase has continued to rise, too.” 

Friends of Casco Bay completed their 30th year of collecting seasonal water temperature data in October. The full 30-year data set shows the Bay’s three warmest years on record have all occurred in the past five years, between 2018 and 2022. These data confirm that warming conditions in Casco Bay align with those observed in the Gulf of Maine and that the region’s waters are warming faster than global averages. 

Scientists have linked rising marine temperatures to shifts in species distribution. Valuable cold-water fisheries like lobster are migrating north. Green crabs, well-known for decimating softshell clam populations and ecologically critical eelgrass meadows, have grown in number in Casco Bay as waters have warmed. 

“Rising water temperatures cause so many impacts,” says Ivy Frignoca, Casco Baykeeper. “A significant rise in temperature can lower the amount of oxygen in the water, cause ill health for cold water plants and animals, and signal an end to a species’ ability to live here. How do we help the Bay adapt to these changes?” 

Slowing the rate that Casco Bay is warming will require accelerated regional and national efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and turn to renewable energy. For many people living in the watershed however, changing energy policy to reduce carbon emissions can feel beyond their influence, says Will Everitt, Friends of Casco Bay’s Executive Director. 

“Locally, we have a limited ability to control carbon emissions across the nation or beyond our borders. But we can control the pollution we put into the Bay,” says Will. “Everything we do now to improve the health of marine ecosystems can help buy us time in the face of the long-term impacts of climate change. Actions like limiting the use of pesticides and fertilizers, reducing stormwater pollution, and developing our towns in ways that do not harm water quality matter. Especially in highly populated areas like the shores of Casco Bay. ”

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Media Release:

For August 7, 2022

Contact:

Robby Lewis-Nash

Friends of Casco Bay

(413) 695 3306

robbylewisnash [at] cascobay [dot] org

More Than 170 Volunteers Assemble to Nab Nitrogen in Portland Harbor

Volunteers with Friends of Casco Bay took part in a Clean Water Act day of action to gather data and help address nitrogen pollution in Casco Bay  

Portland, ME: Over 170 volunteers from 26 towns and communities across the Casco Bay Region converged on Portland Harbor on Sunday morning as part of a major community science event. The event, Nabbing Nitrogen, was organized by Friends of Casco Bay to collect much needed data on the status of nitrogen pollution in Portland Harbor.

“Nitrogen pollution is one of the top threats to the health of Casco Bay,” says Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca. “We know that it comes from many different sources, like urban streams, stormwater outfalls, and wastewater treatment plants. By nabbing nitrogen today, we can better understand and compare how much these sources are contributing to the pollution overall, and find solutions to address them.”

At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Nabbing Nitrogen volunteers spread out around Portland Harbor and collected simultaneous water samples during the outgoing tide, the ideal tidal conditions to measure nitrogen pollution. Volunteers collected their samples from the shores of Portland and South Portland, as well as the harbor-facing shores of Peaks Island, Cushing Island, and Little Diamond Island. Approximately 50 volunteers collected their water samples via boat and kayak in the harbor. Once collected, all water samples were promptly returned to central locations and put on ice to preserve sample quality. 

“What we showed today is that our community is ready to get our hands wet for clean water,” says Friends of Casco Bay Executive Director, Will Everitt. “For so many of us, Casco Bay is home. We understand that the health of the Bay and the health of our communities are intimately connected. In the age of climate change and warming waters, we showed that we are ready to help protect the health of the coastal waters that sustain us all.” 

Friends of Casco Bay organized Nabbing Nitrogen in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act to better understand nitrogen pollution in Casco Bay. The effort focused on Portland Harbor because nitrogen pollution is most severe in densely populated areas. The water samples collected by volunteers will be used to create a detailed “snapshot” of nitrogen levels across the harbor. These data will be integral to Friends of Casco Bay’s advocacy to reduce nitrogen pollution, and will be used by Maine Department of Environmental Protection as it  develops nitrogen discharge criteria. Once adopted, these criteria will influence Clean Water Act permits. 

Nitrogen is naturally found in marine waters. A healthy amount of nitrogen in Casco Bay supports the base of the food chain. But excess nitrogen from human sources such as wastewater, lawncare chemicals, stormwater, air pollution, and other sources can cause excessive algal growth that harms the health of the marine environment. Some of the impacts of nitrogen pollution include shutting down shellfisheries, degrading eelgrass beds (which are critical fish nursery habitat), exacerbating coastal acidification, and lowering oxygen levels.

More information about Nabbing Nitrogen can be found, here: https://www.cascobay.org/nabbing-nitrogen/#nab-faq. 

Interview opportunities: Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Executive Director Will Everitt are available for interviews upon request. To schedule an interview, contact Robby Lewis-Nash: (413) 695-3306 [mobile], robbylewisnash [at] cascobay [dot] org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 28, 2022

Contact:
Robby Lewis-Nash, Staff Writer
Friends of Casco Bay
(413) 695-3306
robbylewisnash [at] cascobay [dot] org

Clean Water Act Stormwater Permit Will Dramatically Reduce Pollution

As the Clean Water Act turns 50, much needed updates to a key stormwater permit in Maine will go into effect on July 1 to help reduce pollution and protect Maine waters from climate change 

South Portland, ME: New protections to reduce stormwater pollution flowing from the most urbanized communities in Maine will go into effect on July 1, under a revised version of a critical Clean Water Act permit: Maine’s General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4). 

Maine’s revised MS4 permit affects numerous municipalities across the state, including communities in the greater Portland region, the Lewiston-Auburn area, and greater Bangor. The permit includes three major updates that are expected to significantly reduce stormwater pollution into Maine’s rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Municipalities that fall under the permit will be required to:

• Test stormwater outfalls to identify and eliminate sources of bacterial contamination
• Take three actions to restore water quality and reduce pollution from their stormwater systems where they flow into impaired waters
• Develop and adopt an ordinance to require new construction and redevelopment to use low impact development techniques that allow stormwater to flow more naturally and carry less pollution into stormwater systems.

These new terms were added to Maine’s MS4 permit after the Maine Department of Environmental Protection was ordered to include them by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, which sided with Friends of Casco Bay in an appeal last summer. The addition of these terms marks the first time that Maine’s MS4 permit meets a 2003 federal requirement to include “clear, specific, and measurable” terms to reduce stormwater pollution.

Tackling stormwater pollution is long overdue in Maine, according to Ivy Frignoca, Casco Baykeeper with Friends of Casco Bay. “This is a time to celebrate,” said Frignoca. “This permit should have huge and visible results for our watershed, and what better year to have it take effect than 2022, the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Stormwater harms the Bay in so many ways because it carries diverse and varying loads of pollutants. As climate change brings more and stronger storms to Maine, the impacts of stormwater pollution will worsen without these changes.”

Stormwater pollution is related to climate change in two major ways. First, Meteorological data show Maine’s annual rainfall has increased six inches since 1895, and Maine’s average annual number of intense storms has increased, particularly since the mid-2000s. Both of these trends exacerbate stormwater pollution and are expected to continue with climate change. Second, stormwater pollution directly harms the health of aquatic ecosystems and fisheries, and healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change. 

Doug Roncarati is a Stormwater Program Coordinator for the City of Portland. “Everything we do on the landscape has the potential to create some kind of pollution,” said Roncarati. “The environment is very resilient, but throw too much at it over time and it will break down. We protect the environment and the long-term economic wellbeing of our communities by being thoughtful in how we manage our water resources. The MS4 permit is one way we can do that.”

Maine’s MS4 permit applies to “urbanized areas” within municipalities, as defined by the US Census. In the Casco Bay watershed, municipalities containing urbanized areas include Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, Westbrook, Windham, and Yarmouth. 

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