MS4. Unless you are a civil engineer or a municipal public works director charged with dealing with discharge permits, you may not know that “MS4” stands for municipal separate storm sewer systems (called MS4 because “s” is repeated four times). An MS4 is a system of storm drains, pipes, or… Read more

This past week’s deluge (5.6 inches in Portland) reminded us of the storm last summer, on August 13, 2014 (6.4 inches in Portland) when Casco Bay changed color – from blue to ghastly. We’ve seen the Bay turn brown, brown yellow, brown green – anything but blue, with anything-but-fresh rainwater… Read more