Tag: Pollution

May 9, 2024

Stormwater Stroll – Friday, June 7

Please note this event has reached capacity. Please email Sara Freshly at sfreshley [at] cascobay [dot] org to placed on the waitlist.

Join us for a Stormwater Stroll on Friday, June 7, 2024 to celebrate Clean Water Week!

Are you curious about how the City of Portland and Friends of Casco Bay are working to keep stormwater pollution — all the pesticides, fertilizers, road salts, and other junk that stormwater carries — out of the Bay? Join us on Commercial Street to get up close to where the stormwater meets the sea. Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Portland’s Stormwater Program Coordinator Doug Roncarati will guide the Stormwater Stroll, point out features such as stormwater outfalls and combined sewer overflow pipes, and share insights on the process, challenges, and improvements.

The Mingle

After the stroll, participants are invited to join the Mingle, hosted by Friends of Casco Bay, at Andy’s Old Port Pub to celebrate Clean Water Week and get your stormwater questions answered! There will be a cash bar. We’ll provide light appetizers.

Stroll: The group will stroll from Ocean Gateway to Portland Lobster Co. with a handful of stops along the way that will open your eyes up to stormwater infrastructure. We’ll walk approximately one mile.

Mingle at Andy’s Old Port Pub from 5 to 6 p.m. hosted by Friends of Casco Bay. Join us for some yummy appetizers as we lift our glasses to Clean Water Week.

Getting There:

Public transportation: The Greater Portland Metro’s Husky Line drops off at Hancock and Thames, adjacent to the Ocean Gateway Terminal at 3:05 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. You can view pick-up points for the Husky Line here. You can see the full Greater Portland Metro Schedule and Routes here.

Biking: A great way to bike to Ocean Gateway Pier is along the Eastern Promenade Trail. You can park at the Marginal Way Park and Ride and follow the Eastern Promenade Trail to Ocean Gateway Pier.

Please Note:

This event requires approximately one mile of walking with breaks built in. You can expect to need to stand for at least an hour.
We have a limited number of spaces available. The event is at capacity. If you would still like to attend, we will add you to our waitlist.
In case of heavy rain, wind, or thunder we will cancel this event and notify registrants via email.

April 17, 2024

10 Ways to Get Ready for Earth Day

Earth Day is on Monday, April 22, 2024. Here at Friends of Casco Bay, while every day is an opportunity to advocate for and protect clean waters and healthy communities, Earth Day is our reminder that collectively we can take positive actions to help nature and inspire hope.

In this spirit, here are 10 ways to show up, aid, and honor this one precious Earth we share.

1) Be the eyes of the Bay.

Water Reporter Susan Woodman enjoys photographing the eelgrass at Willard Beach in South Portland. “It feels as though you’re contributing something and looking after the beach.”

Become a Water Reporter. Volunteer Water Reporters help us act as the eyes of Casco Bay. Water Reporters use their smartphones to photograph algal blooms, sea level rise, pollution, eelgrass, wildlife sightings, and other notable observations from on and around the Bay. Their photos are shared with our staff through the Water Reporter app, creating an archive of observational data on how the Bay may be changing over time. Sign up here.

2). Learn about superhero seagrasses.

Attend our upcoming Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: Eelgrass happening online Thursday, April 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Friends of Casco Bay is part of a two-year eelgrass pilot project to monitor eelgrass meadows, study why they are shrinking, and, ultimately, test restoration solutions. Register to attend and learn more about this vital marine plant and the pilot project.

3) Find out what you can do about stormwater pollution by watching our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper video on stormwater. Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley have a conversation over coffee that focuses on the increasing impact stormwater has on Casco Bay and what Friends of Casco Bay is doing to help address this issue (sneak peek: it’s a lot!). They also share upcoming opportunities for you to use your voice to advocate for clean water.

4) Educate yourself about “forever chemicals” by watching our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper video on PFAS in Casco Bay. PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they break down slowly in the environment. They are associated with serious health issues and can be found in many common products such as fast food packaging, nonstick pans, candy wrappers, and firefighting foam.

Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley have a casual conversation about our partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences to sample for PFAS in Casco Bay. Ivy shares insights from what we learned during our first year of PFAS monitoring in Casco Bay and we also talk about what’s next in 2024.

5) Clean up our watershed. Put your gloves on, grab a bag, and help clean up the Casco Bay watershed.

Friends of Casco Bay volunteers, Andrea Martin, Steffy Amondi and Trish Peterson collect and log the different types of trash collected along the shore of Bug Light Park in South Portland.

Here are four cleanup events happening soon:

Coastal Cleanup hosted by Mere Point Oyster Co. and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust in Brunswick on Saturday, April 20.
South Portland Annual Cleanup hosted by South Portland Land Trust at Mill Creek Park on Sunday, April 21.
Earth Day Beach Cleanup hosted by Casco Bay Cleanup Project and MaineHealth Sustainability Committee at the East End Beach in Portland on Monday, April 22.
Red Brook Cleanup Day hosted by the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Maine Fly Guys in South Portland on Saturday, May 4.

Thank you to the businesses and organizations hosting these events.

If none of these events work for you, host your own cleanup! Picking up waste anywhere in the watershed region is helpful to the Bay – it doesn’t have to be on the coast.

6) Celebrate sustainable cities

The City of Portland is celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 20 with live music, food trucks, e-bike demos, composting, stories and more. Info here.

7) Drink a beer for the Bay this April.

We are thrilled to announce that our Friends at Allagash Brewing Company have selected Friends of Casco Bay as their Charitable Partner this month! What this means is that their tasting room team forwards all funds their guests add to their tabs directly to us all April long. So if you’re looking for a tasty way to support us, head over to Allagash, enjoy a beer, and be sure to add a little extra when paying your tab!

8) Take personal action.

There are a myriad of ways to walk more gently on the earth, heal the wounds of pollution, and be part of the solutions. Here are just a few ideas:

Photo by Sam Bengs

• Remember to pick up after your pooch, and carry it out too.

• Green your ride by biking, walking, or carpooling.

• Stop using pesticides and fertilizers on your lawn.

• Get an energy audit on your home.

• Compost or use a service like Garbage to Garden.

• Eat local.

• Use less plastic.

And remember: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin

9) Share some Earth love!

Clammers in Casco Bay. Photo by Heidi Holloway

Post a photo of you and the Bay, then tag @FriendsofCascoBay on Facebook or Instagram.

10) Take a moment to connect with Casco Bay and the watershed.

“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, ‘What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?’” –Rachel Carson

Harpswell sunset. Photo by Stephen G. Hobson

April 10, 2024

Got Flares? Expired Marine Flare Disposal Day on Saturday, April 13

If you’re a boater with expired or used marine flares lying around, please don’t toss them in the trash or ocean. Dispose of marine flares properly with the help of the Maine Fire Marshal and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Expired Marine Flare Disposal Day
Saturday, April 13
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At three Hamilton Marine stores: Portland, Rockland and Searsport

Commercial and recreational boat owners are aware of the safety requirement to have visual distress signals on their boats. Most often, pyrotechnic marine flares are used to meet this need. But marine flares must be replaced with new ones 42 months after the date of manufacture. Unfortunately, disposing of expired flares is challenging.

Pyrotechnic flares contain perchlorates, chemicals that can quickly dissolve and contaminate ground and surface water. They are known to cause reproductive problems and the EPA considers them a carcinogen. Because they are a hazardous waste, flares cannot be disposed of in household garbage. Fortunately, Maine has authorized the State Fire Marshal to collect flares and dispose of them properly.

On Saturday, April 13, the Maine State Fire Marshal and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are hosting a disposal day in partnership with Hamilton Marine. You can drop off your expired flares at three locations:

In the parking lot, look for Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel, who will assist you.

You can also dispose of used and expired marine flares at Chase, Leavitt & Co. and Landing Boat Supply using their year-round flares dropbox, to be picked up by the Maine Fire Marshal. They will also be holding a week-long Open House with water safety demonstrations, a food truck, music, and more during the week of April 8-13. Chase, Leavitt & Co is located at 84 Cove St Portland, ME.

March 29, 2024

10 Things We’ve Learned About PFAS in Casco Bay

Last updated: April 17, 2024

Concerns about PFAS have surfaced as more of Maine’s lands and waters are tested. Before 2023, no one had gathered samples from the marine waters of Casco Bay yet. Last year, Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences partnered up to test for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Casco Bay. We’ve gathered the results from our first year of samples and have learned some interesting things about PFAS along the way.

1. We found PFAS at all 18 sites we sampled in Casco Bay in 2023. While there are no safe limits set for marine waters, all of our samples were lower than Maine’s interim drinking water standards. [Update on 4/17/24: The EPA finalized new and more stringent standards for drinking water on April 9, 2024. We understand that drinking water regulations are not the best framework to compare to marine waters since we don’t drink bay water. We are discussing how to evaluate the 2023 PFAS results and hope this continued study will help inform setting standards for PFAS in marine waters.] PFAS levels appeared to dilute quickly at sites further offshore.

Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences conducted six months of PFAS sampling in Casco Bay in 2023, finding low levels of PFAS at all 18 sites.

2. Research shows PFAS to have serious and long-term health consequences, including increased risk for kidney or testicular cancer, liver damage, high cholesterol, pregnancy complications, decreased fertility, lower birth weight in infants, and other potential health risks.* We know that PFAS-contaminated seafood affects human health so our sampling efforts in Casco Bay can help us better understand the risks.

3. PFAS have been manufactured since the 1940s. They are used to make products durable and resistant to water, flames, and stains. PFAS can be found in a wide range of products — microwave popcorn bags, candy wrappers, camping gear, smartphones, pesticides, yoga pants, cosmetics, cleaning products, shampoo — the list goes on. It can feel a bit overwhelming.

4. PFAS really are “forever chemicals.” Two of the top PFAS suspects, PFOA and PFOS showed up in higher concentrations at our Casco Bay test sites than any of the other PFAS compounds, even though these two were phased out in the US by 2016. This demonstrates just how persistent these chemicals are and the importance of bans.

5. It’s still safe for a lobster bake. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection collected and analyzed American lobster meat from across the coast of Maine in 2021.** Half of the sites had no detectable PFOS in lobster meat, while the rest showed very low concentrations that should not pose a risk to your next lobster feast according to Maine CDC. PFAS levels also tested low and are considered safe for Maine’s soft-shell clams, striped bass, and bluefish.**

6. Things are a bit fishy on the lower Presumpscot River. Maine CDC recommends anglers consume only four meals per year of any fish caught from the lower Presumpscot River due to PFAS.***

7. We dressed up special for the occasion. To avoid contaminating our samples, our scientists had to wear special clothing that didn’t contain any PFAS. We also had to stop using Sharpie markers and the write-in-the-rain paper we typically use because they both contain PFAS. Bigelow Laboratories has also developed very specific protocols in their labs for analyzing samples and is now certified to test water and sediment samples for PFAS for the state.

8. We’re looking for specific sources. For this next round of sampling in 2024, we’ll take our boat and PFAS sampling kits to 71 sites around Casco Bay and the watershed to better understand how PFAS are entering our waters. This information will help Maine’s state agencies protect local water quality.

9. Maine is taking action. In 2021, Maine passed groundbreaking bipartisan legislation banning all nonessential uses of PFAS in products used in Maine, some of the most stringent PFAS regulations in the country.

10. You can be part of the solution too. We believe the best way to address the PFAS crisis is to enact regulations that limit or eliminate PFAS at the manufacturing level. You can support legislation requiring manufacturers to report their use of PFAS and oppose bills that move us backward. For example, right now there is a proposal we’ve testified against that would exempt agricultural pesticides from reporting requirements and the ban on PFAS until 2030. Until better regulations go into effect, here are some things consumers can do to reduce their PFAS exposure.

Want to know more about PFAS in Casco Bay? Watch this video of our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper webinar to hear a casual conversation on this complex topic with Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley.

Sources:

More Information:

March 20, 2024

Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: PFAS video

In this video from our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper series, Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley have a casual early morning conversation about our partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences to sample for PFAS in Casco Bay. Ivy shares insights from what we learned during our first year of PFAS monitoring in Casco Bay. Sara and Ivy also talk about what’s next in 2024.

PFAS are chemicals that are used in a wide variety of products from clothing to firefighting foam. They break down slowly so they build up in our environment and are detrimental to human health. Last year, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Friends of Casco Bay partnered as we conducted the first study of PFAS in the waters of Casco Bay. Ivy will share an overview of PFAS monitoring at Friends of Casco Bay’s seasonal sites in 2023. Sara and Ivy will then talk about our more extensive plans to monitor the Bay and lower watershed for PFAS in 2024. All of this work is in collaboration with Bigelow Laboratory scientists, who developed the protocols and are analyzing the samples. We are excited to share our plans with you and how the data will help further our understanding of the health of our waters.

March 15, 2024

PFAS Sampling Results in Casco Bay

Last updated: April 17, 2024

From the deck of our Casco Baykeeper boat R/V Joseph E. Payne, science staff from our organization and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences collected more than 100 PFAS samples at 18 sites across Casco Bay in 2023.

This is the most complete dataset yet of the concentrations of PFAS pollutants, so-called forever chemicals, in the waters of Casco Bay. Their results show widespread — but not alarming — levels of several of these chemicals across the region, highlighting the need for more research into the sources of PFAS and their possible impacts on the marine environment.

The first step in monitoring PFAS in Casco Bay

The results of this effort mark the first step of a multi-year, collaborative project to provide much-needed information on sources of these toxic chemicals and impacts to the coastal environment.

PFAS, which stands for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have received significant attention in recent years, particularly in Maine. The state has emerged as a national leader in monitoring and regulating this persistent and commonly-used family of chemicals. However, until now, little had been done to track PFAS levels in Casco Bay’s marine waters.

A dynamic partnership

The latest results are the first phase of a multi-year study led by Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Christoph Aeppli, Ph.D., in collaboration with Friends of Casco Bay staff. In 2023, the team collected water samples at Friends of Casco Bay’s seasonal monitoring sites. This year, the team plans to build upon this preliminary dataset to better understand the primary sources of PFAS into Casco Bay’s water and coastal sediment. That information, in turn, will help state agencies protect local water quality and respond to potential changes in federal regulations.

“We are delighted to partner with Bigelow Laboratory and their top-notch scientists,” says Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca. “The data we are collecting will complement existing monitoring of shellfish and fish tissues and discharges from wastewater treatment plants to give us a more complete understanding of PFAS levels in the Bay and whether there are areas that pose risks to the health of our waters and to people.”

As Dr. Aeppli notes, “PFAS compounds can travel through water, and we clearly have many different pathways for these chemicals to enter our waterways and flow into the estuary, including both small but powerful sources and widespread, diffuse sources.” Ivy offers, “Based on one year of study with six sampling events, we did not find alarming levels of certain PFAS compounds and cannot yet draw any conclusions from these results.” This year’s follow-up study will hone in on potential land-based sources.

Six months of sampling data from sites around Casco Bay were collected in 2023 by Bigelow Laboratory and Friends of Casco Bay scientists.

PFAS found at all sites

PFAS were detected at all of the study’s monitoring sites. While there are no safe limits set for marine waters, all of our samples were lower than Maine’s interim drinking water standards. [Update on 4/17/24: The EPA finalized new and more stringent standards for drinking water on April 9, 2024. We understand that drinking water regulations are not the best framework to compare to marine waters since we don’t drink bay water. We are discussing how to evaluate the 2023 PFAS results and hope this continued study will help inform setting standards for PFAS in marine waters.] The levels appeared to dilute as offshore measurements were lower than those closer to shore.

The study did find elevated levels close to known sources, including the Brunswick Naval Air Station, an EPA Superfund site since 1987. Those levels decreased quickly further offshore. Levels were comparatively low in the waters around the heavily urbanized Portland area.

“Before, we didn’t even know how much PFAS there was or how long it takes to dilute in the water, and now we’ve identified some clear patterns across Casco Bay,” Dr. Aeppli said. “We can use that insight to begin a more in-depth study on the contributions of individual sources.”

The 2023 study was funded by Maine Sea Grant. All the samples were processed in Dr. Aeppli’s lab at Bigelow with a method capable of detecting 40 different PFAS compounds at concentrations akin to a single pinch of salt in a swimming pool.

The next phase will look at specific sources of PFAS

With a better understanding of the basic distribution and levels of PFAS across Casco Bay, Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratory can now begin to focus on identifying the contributions of specific sources. They will also sample sediments to understand how these chemicals are accumulating in the near-shore environment. These efforts, which will continue through 2025, are supported, in part, by funding from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Conversations with the public about PFAS

Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Science and Advocacy Associate Heather Kenyon are leading a stakeholder process to discuss results and hone the selection of monitoring sites for further study. The stakeholders include experts working across fields such as wastewater and stormwater management and shellfish health.

“We are grateful for Bigelow Laboratory’s leadership and partnership,” said Executive Director Will Everitt. “By working together with Chris Aeppli and his team this year, we can do a deeper dive into how PFAS may be getting into the Bay and work with decision-makers about what actions we collectively have to take to protect our coastal waters.”

Learn more at our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper webinar

Learn more about Friends of Casco Bay’s ongoing data collection of PFAS in Casco Bay this Thursday, March 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at our Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper webinar. Grab a cup of coffee and hop online to hear Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley discuss the results of this collaboration with Bigelow Laboratory.

What: Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: PFAS
When: Wednesday, March 21, 8:00 to 8:45 a.m.
Where: Zoom, Register here to receive a link to attend

December 21, 2023

Our Top 10 Moments of 2023

As this year comes to an end, let’s reflect and celebrate the many ways that we worked together to protect the health of Casco Bay in 2023. Here are our top ten stories of the year:

1) We won a four-year moratorium on new sources of pollution into the lower Presumpscot River. The moratorium prevents the permitting of new industrial or wastewater discharges into the river near where it empties into Casco Bay. As the Presumpscot drains two-thirds of the Casco Bay watershed, this was a big win for our waters. Portland Press Herald wrote an in-depth story on this effort. Our lead advocate, Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca won the Chief Poulin Award for her work on the moratorium. Ivy is shown here receiving the award from Friends of the Presumpscot River board member, Will Plumley.

2) More than 100 of our volunteer Water Reporters deepened their knowledge about Casco Bay. Volunteer Water Reporters attended a wide array of meet-ups and trainings all around the Bay this year. Water Reporters spent time with experts and heard the most up-to-date information about living shorelines, marsh restoration, invasive species, and stormwater pollution.

3) The “Sensor Squad” is moving science forward for Casco Bay and all of Maine’s coastal waters. Good decisions are made using good data. Led, in part, by our Staff Scientist Mike Doan, the Sensor Squad is working to ensure we are using the most accurate climate change and acidification techniques and protocols we can. This work is a part of Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative, a coalition of scientists and marine organizations from the University of New Hampshire to the border of Maine and Canada working to improve climate change data collection. Friends of Casco Bay helps to lead the Collaborative.

4) Passamaquoddy Language Keeper Dwayne Tomah was the featured speaker at our Members Annual Meeting in August. He shared the Passamaquoddy word for ceremony, “olotahkewakon,” noting that our gathering was a ceremony for our mother earth. Dwayne’s refrain throughout the evening was “We are all in this together.” Watch the inspiring talk here.

5) We maintained the strength of the permit that regulates stormwater pollution from large urban communities. You may remember that we celebrated this stricter permit as our top story of 2022. Stormwater is one of the largest sources of pollution into Casco Bay. Since the permit that regulates urban stormwater went into effect in July 2022, we have been working to ensure that it is properly implemented. In November, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection agreed with us that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection must ensure that towns covered by the permit implement low-impact development ordinances that include nine strategies designed to reduce stormwater pollution from new construction and redevelopment.

6) The City of South Portland launched 100 Resilient Yards, providing a grassroots way to bring best practices in yard care directly to neighborhoods around the city. Residents and businesses who took part in the program were given technical and physical assistance to build healthy soils that protect Casco Bay. Experts and volunteers helped residents build rain gardens, grow pollinator gardens, and more. We hope other towns around the Bay look at this program as a model!

7) We organized 15 fun coastal cleanups, including one with the surf rock band Easy Honey and one with the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. These cleanups gave community members a hands-on way to make a direct difference in the health of our waters by preventing waste and litter from being washed into the Bay.

8) We hired Community Organizer and Volunteer Coordinator Sara Freshley! Over the past 10 months, Sara has become an integral part of our team. She’s helped deepen the knowledge of our Water Reporters, organized storm drain stenciling and coastal cleanups, and worked to expand our outreach efforts.

9) We helped organize an expired flare collection event in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Casco Bay and the Maine State Fire Marshall. The event was a great success, collecting 1,945 expired marine flares. Marine flares are pyrotechnic devices that boaters can use as a distress signal in emergencies. They burn at high temperatures, posing a serious fire hazard for long-term storage. Flares also contain toxic chemicals that can contaminate water and soil. Due to these hazardous qualities, it is illegal to throw flares in the trash, and ill-advised to store them at home.

Scenic Category Winner 1st Place, Student Category Winner, Best of Show, by Ava McKinley

10) We got in touch with our artistic side! Our online event, Water as Inspiration, brought together three regional artists to draw the connections between creativity, the environment, and climate change. We had dozens of submissions to “Frame the Bay,” our first-ever photo contest at our Members Annual Meeting. And we shared the stage with filmmaker Maximillian Armstrong at our Film Fest for Casco Bay.

As YOU know, Casco Bay is an inspiration! Thank you for helping us protect this amazing place and for being a Friend of Casco Bay.

June 28, 2023

Presumpscot Celebration

You’re invited to celebrate the healthy future of the Lower Presumpscot with Friends of Casco Bay and Friends of the Presumpscot River!

Where: Riverton Trolley Park and Allagash Brewing Company in Portland
When: Thursday, July 13, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Join us at Riverton Trolley Park on the banks of the Presumpscot to hear about how the new moratorium on industrial and wastewater discharges into the river supports the health of the Casco Bay watershed. After some brief remarks at the park, we will head to nearby Allagash Brewing to raise a toast and celebrate.

Please RSVP by emailing keeper@cascobay.org.

We hope to see you there!

June 28, 2023

Great news for the Presumpscot River and Casco Bay

Presumpscot Falls is a natural haven that many visit for recreation and solace in the middle of Maine’s most densely populated and continuously developing region. The Falls are located in the lower Presumpscot River, which currently has only Class C protections (see our fact sheet linked below for more information).

The largest river that flows into Casco Bay is officially protected from new sources of pollution under Maine law! A four-year moratorium on new industrial or wastewater discharges into the Lower Presumpscot River was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Mills on Friday.

The Lower Presumpscot flows from Saccarappa Falls in downtown Westbrook to head of tide along the Portland-Falmouth border. This section of river was historically heavily polluted by untreated industrial discharges. Today it is a thriving urban waterway thanks to years of restoration efforts under the Clean Water Act. Temporarily preventing new discharges into the river – for example, from a new factory or other industry – will protect the Lower Presumpscot’s substantial gains in water quality while a long-term solution is identified to preserve the river’s health.

“The Presumpscot River drains two-thirds of the Casco Bay watershed,” says Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca. “Flowing from pristine headlands through some of Maine’s most densely populated and diverse neighborhoods, this river is intimately tied to the health of Casco Bay, the wildlife it supports, and the people who live here. Protecting the Lower Presumpscot from new discharges over the next four years will help us figure out how to more permanently protect the health of the river.”

If you were one of the many Friends of the Bay who submitted testimony in favor of the moratorium, thank you. The legislators truly heard the importance of the connection between the health of the river and the Bay, strengthening their support for the moratorium. We are also grateful for our partners at Friends of the Presumpscot River and their leadership on this effort. You are all Friends of Casco Bay!

If you want to learn more about the many reasons we supported the moratorium, check out the fact sheet on our website. In short, we believe this bill supports our region’s growing communities, the local economy, and most importantly, the health of the Presumpscot River and Casco Bay.

If you would like to celebrate this clean water victory, we would love for you to join us in Portland on July 13! Click here to learn more and RSVP.

June 8, 2023

Willard Beach Reopens to Public

A 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 the flow into Casco Bay.

The beach reopened on Wednesday night after water quality tests showed it was safe for the public. For more information about the sewer break at Willard Beach, you can follow the City of South Portland on social media or read the media releases on their website.

It has been a rough few years for Willard Beach and those who spend their time there. You may remember that in 2021, there was an oil spill and a sewer pipe that burst at the beach.

These incidents are reminders on the importance of investing in our stormwater and sewer systems–and the agencies and departments that maintain them. These investments are expensive and largely fall to municipalities, which often do not have abundant financial resources. Friends of Casco Bay advocates for funds at the state level that help support projects like these. Maintaining stormwater and sewer systems is crucial to keeping our communities healthy and Casco Bay clean.