A Timeline of Milestones at Friends of Casco Bay
Gray water law for cruise ships
Friends of Casco Bay shepherds passage of a state law prohibiting large passenger vessels from dumping wastes from sinks, showers, and galleys into Maine waters.
Portland to deal with sewage
Share stormwater cleanup costs
Study on Ocean Acidification
Friends of Casco Bay ask supporters to help convince the Maine Legislature to pass a bill to establish a state Ocean Acidification Commission, the first on the East Coast.
Study calls out nitrogen
Baykeeper Joe Payne is one of 16 commission members who issue a report that calls for more data collection and education to reduce nitrogen pollution, a cause of coastal acidification.
No action on ocean acidification
Report of the Ocean Acidification Commission is delivered to the state Legislature, but the State does not act on its recommendations.
How healthy is Casco Bay?
We release a major report that answers the most commonly asked questions about the Bay, including How healthy is Casco Bay?. A Changing Casco Bay, based on 23 years of data collection, cites nitrogen pollution from fertilizers, rainwater runoff, sewage, and air pollutants, as a leading cause of concern for the health of Casco Bay.
Maine Ocean and Coastal Acidification partnership
Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca helps organize the first meeting of the newly named Maine Ocean and Coastal Acidification partnership to coordinate policy and research to address this little-known impact of climate change. Later that year, the first Ocean Acidification Symposium draws 110 participants to share data on the causes and effects of ocean and coastal acidification in Maine waters.
Historic agreement to reduce nitrogen
Friends of Casco Bay secures an agreement with Portland Water District to work to significantly reduce nitrogen discharged into the Bay by treating effluent water from the East End Wastewater Treatment Facility. The goal is to reduce nitrogen pollution entering the Bay by 20-40% within 5 years. Engineering modifications result in nitrogen discharges dropping by 70% on average by 2018.
Launch volunteer Water Reporter
Friends of Casco Bay launches a year-round Casco Bay volunteer observing network: Water Reporter.
Our Climate Council bill expands
Headmaster joins our fleet
Friends of Casco Bay christens and launches our new pumpout boat, Headmaster.
Launch of Climate Change and Casco Bay Fund
Friends of Casco Bay announces our ten-year plan to help our community adapt to and address climate change. We publicly launched the Climate Change and Casco Bay Fund for Technology, Monitoring, and Community Engagement, to raise $1.5 million to be used over the next decade to understand how Casco Bay is being affected by climate change.
Executive Director Cathy Ramsdell Retires
Cathy Ramsdell retires after serving as Executive Director of Friends of Casco Bay for more than 18 years. Throughout her tenure, Cathy was widely credited with securing Friends of Casco Bay’s programmatic and financial foundation, relying on her career experience in accounting, marine ecology, and non-profit organizational development.
1.5 Million Fewer Pounds of Nitrogen
Following plant upgrades and improved techniques at Portland’s East End Wastewater Treatment Facility in 2017, the facility reduced the amount of nitrogen in its effluent by 1.5 million pounds over four years. These changes came out of collaborative discussions between the Portland Water District and Friends of Casco Bay.
Reducing Stormwater Pollution
After many years of advocacy from Friends of Casco Bay, new protections that will reduce stormwater pollution in Maine’s most populated areas go into effect in July. These protections come under Maine’s MS4 permit.
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