Willard Beach Reopens to Public
June 8, 2023A sewer pipe near Willard Beach burst last week, causing the City of South Portland to temporarily close the beach to the public. We were in contact with the city as they worked to repair the pipe and are grateful for South Portland Water Resource Protection’s quick response to stop… Read more
Fact Sheet: Presumpscot River Discharge Moratorium, LD 1926
May 12, 2023Protect the restored health of the lower Presumpscot River: the largest freshwater source to Casco Bay LD 1926, An Act to Impose a Moratorium on New Point Source Waste Discharge Licenses on the Lower Presumpscot River, places a four-year moratorium on new pollution discharges into the river from downtown Westbrook… Read more
The Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative Provides a Model to Move Maine Forward
May 11, 2023Studying changing coastal ecosystems comes with unique challenges – Friends of Casco Bay and our partners are taking them on. Friends of Casco Bay is facilitating the newly formed Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative, a coalition of scientists and marine organizations from the University of New Hampshire to the border of… Read more
2023 Water Reporter Kickoff
May 5, 2023With 578 miles of shoreline, Casco Bay is large. It takes many of us working together to keep an eye on this special place we all love. By volunteering as a Water Reporter and taking photos of algal blooms, eelgrass, rising sea levels, pollution, and more, you can help us… Read more
Nab Data Suggest Land-Based Sources Contribute to Nitrogen Pollution
April 27, 2023166 volunteers collected water samples from Portland Harbor to help measure and address nitrogen pollution. Here is what we found. It was a sweltering summer morning on August 7, 2022 when 166 volunteers descended on Portland Harbor to collect water samples for nitrogen analysis. After sending the 178 samples collected… Read more
“Staggering” loss of eelgrass habitat in Casco Bay
March 24, 2023More than half of the critical and federally protected seagrass meadows in Casco Bay disappeared between 2018-2022. Eelgrass meadows in Casco Bay have declined in size by 54 percent over the past four years, a loss described as “staggering” in a new report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This… Read more