Session H

SESSION H.
Safe Beaches and Shellfish Beds

Some PowerPoint presentations are available for download. Please click on session presentation titles below to access the download link.

Session Chairs:
Stephenie MacLagan, Sustainability Solutions Initiative, University of Maine
Keri Kaczor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Description:

This session will focus on how the emerging field of sustainability science may be used to tackle problems related to impaired water quality in coastal regions, where elevated levels of unhealthy bacteria can lead to the closure of shellfish beds and posting of beach advisories. Topic areas for this session include: how natural processes and human activities in coastal waters and watersheds influence bacterial dynamics, the potential role of social feedback processes in addressing and improving impaired water quality, and the importance of doing so for local communities depending on shellfish and beaches.

Session Presentations:

Abstracts:

Measuring the Impact of Shellfish Closures on Maine’s Economy
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Kevin Athearn
University of Maine at Machias, Machias, ME; kathearn@maine.edu

Maine’s molluscan shellfish industry generates annual sales greater than $30 million at the wholesale level.  Accounting for indirect and induced effects on the Maine economy, the shellfish industry contributes about $60 million in economic output. That economic output is achieved despite more than 100,000 acres of shellfish beds closed to harvesting because of elevated levels of harmful bacteria under normal conditions and much larger periodic closures from red tide and coastal flooding. Shellfish closures reduce the statewide harvest of shellfish and likely cause substantial economic losses for coastal communities.  Models for estimating the economic impact of shellfish harvesting closures are not readily available. This presentation reviews two studies estimating closure impacts. The first study estimates statewide economic losses from red tide and flood closures. The second study examines the impact of bacterial closures, linked to Machias combined sewer overflows, on Machiasport clam harvesting. Both studies find significant economic losses from shellfish area closures. Methodological challenges for measuring the economic impact of shellfish closures are discussed.

Managing shellfish for healthful consumption
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Alison Sirois, Meggan Dwyer
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources, Maine Shellfish Growing Area Program, Public Health Bureau, West Boothbay, ME; Alison.Sirois@maine.gov

The Bureau of Public Health oversees the application of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) within the State of Maine. This program is implemented internationally by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) in order to keep molluscan shellfish safe for human consumption. This is accomplished by making sure that a common set of standards are used to classify shellfish growing areas and handle shellfish when they go to market. The Growing Area Classification Program evaluates all shellfish growing areas in the state of Maine to determine their suitability of harvest. This presentation includes an overview of the classification process, focusing on the successes of reclassifying areas after pollution sources are addressed. DMR staff work with local shellfish wardens and committees, who help identify priority areas for conducting sanitary surveys. By collaborating with researchers and community volunteers, DMR continues to refine the expectations of when various conditions affect pollution levels that result in bacterial closures.

Clean Water: Working Together to Find Solutions
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Keri Kaczor1, Bill Bell2, John Bird3

  1. University of Maine Cooperative Extension
  2. Saco Resident
  3. Old Orchard Beach Conservation Commission

Tourism and the shellfish industry are integral components of the Maine economy and way of life. Spending related to beaches in York County alone is estimated to be over 500 million annually (Levert, 2009). However, elevated fecal bacteria levels in coastal waters may pose a human health risk, leading to beach advisories and closures of shellfish growing areas. Rivers, streams, and storm drains transport pollutants from upland areas to the surf zone. Addressing pollution issues often requires enhanced monitoring and in-depth studies beyond the immediate shoreline area.

In response, Maine Healthy Beaches has brought together partners at all levels with a focus on sharing resources and solving problems. By partnering on applied research and source-tracking studies, transferring data to usable information to act upon, and providing training and technical support, the program has built local capacity to address pollution issues. Identifying pollution sources is only one part of the equation. It is equally important to find solutions to current problems and to take action to prevent future ones.

Program staff will share pathways of pollution and strategies used to alleviate contamination issues including what citizens can do to help improve water quality. Case studies showcasing how knowledge of local circulation patterns helps determine the fate and transport of contaminants, applications of the pollution source tracking toolbox, use of Geographical Information Systems to identify priority sub-watersheds, sanitary surveys, local prevention efforts and more will be shared. Citizen Scientists will also discuss their role in transforming the data into local actions to improve water quality.

Digging into human impacts at beaches
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Elizabeth Halliday
Marine Science Faculty, Coastal Studies for Girls, Freeport, ME; elizabeth@coastalstudiesforgirls.org

Purpose: Beach sands can act as a reservoir of fecal bacteria at recreational beaches.  Whether fecal bacteria are introduced to sands from land-based runoff, deposited from polluted surf-zone waters, or introduced directly to the sand surface in animal or human waste, once introduced to moist sand environments the fecal bacteria may persist and even reproduce.  This bacterial reservoir can be a threat to human health for those in contact with the sands, and can also impair local water quality by acting as a source of bacteria under certain environmental conditions.

Significant Results: Field studies at beaches in Maine and Massachusetts have documented distinct patterns in sand distribution of the marine fecal indicator Enterococcus, as well as correlations between bacterial abundance and specific environmental variables. 

Main Conclusion: These findings have important implications for healthy beach management and may help explain dry-weather water quality violations.

Using scent trained canines to detect the presence of E. coli in stormwater discharges
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Forrest Bell1 and Scott Reynolds2 with special guest: Logan or Sable, canine scent tracking dogs

  1. FB Environmental Associate, Portland, ME
  2. Environmental Canine Services, Vermontville, Michigan

Detecting the presence of E. coli in stormwater discharges impacting coastal and inland ecosystems is an important goal of federal, state, and local governments. In 2013, The US EPA alerted several municipalities that Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) will need to be a top priority for regulated communities. The ability to rapidly screen for E. coli contamination would provide a cost effective way to comply with these federally mandated stormwater programs outlined in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and can help states and municipalities to meet reductions of bacteria levels at key locations impacting public health including beaches and in shellfish harvesting areas.

The method of using scent trained canines for detecting and tracking human fecal contamination in storm water systems, rivers, lakes, and at beaches has gained national attention as a unique and rapid screening option (New York Times 2009, USA Today 2013). Since 2009 Environmental Canine Services (ECS) has successfully conducted over 30 projects nationwide in both the marine and freshwater environments in both urbanized and rural areas. Here in the northeastern US, ECS has partnered with FB Environmental Associates and several municipalities in Maine and New Hampshire to successfully hone in on bacteria “hot spots” using canine detection and in several cases illicit discharges have been quickly remedied and surface water bacteria levels have dropped.

With the ability of the canines to discriminate between human fecal and both wild and domestic animal feces, the monitoring process is accelerated through the reduced need for sampling and immediate real-time results. Combined this with several applications that can be applied according to environment, time constraints and overall bacterial source tracking goals, these methods prove to be a cost-effective and time-saving bacteria source screening tool.

Clean Water for Clams: Community Engagement in Water Quality
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

Becky Kolak and Ruth Indrick
Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Bath, ME

Over the past four years, the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust has focused on coastal water quality in the Kennebec Estuary region through the lens of “Clean Water for Clams.” Using clams and clamming as a starting point for conversations about water quality and its importance to the community, the land trust and its partners have provided outreach at community programs about clamming and coastal pollution sources, recruited volunteers, collected water samples for testing, led programs in classrooms and brought students and families outside to dig in the mud. Clams and other shellfish are harvested along Maine’s tidal mud flats and beaches, and harvesters face several challenges that actions in the Kennebec are intended to confront.  This work in the Kennebec Estuary serves as a case study for methods that can be used to engage a community in its water quality, and it lays the foundation for a discussion about unique ways to build community support for coastal resources.

Opening Closed Clam Flats and Promoting Healthy Beaches: There are Many Paths to Clean Water in Maine
PowerPoint presentation available for download.

 Jane Disney
Community Environmental Health Laboratory, MDI Biological Laboratory

Clean water is important to residents of Mt. Desert Island and the millions of visitors who arrive each summer to enjoy local seafood and a variety of recreational water activities. Over the past 22 years, Dr. Jane Disney has pursued multiple pathways in promoting clean water. This work has brought together diverse partners including state agencies, schools, and community groups, and has been supported in large part by the Maine Conservation Corps through their AmeriCorps program. Participation in state programs like Maine Healthy Beaches and working closely with Maine DMR biologists has been instrumental in the success of a number of endeavors to promote clean water and protect public health on Mt. Desert Island. The limited scope of state programs necessitates the involvement of local organizations and their community partners in assuring clean water and vibrant fisheries. Three case studies will be shared:  A student led sanitary survey that resulted in the opening of clamflats in Somes Harbor in Somesville; a hybrid sanitary/watershed survey that led to dramatic improvements in water quality at Seal Harbor Beach in the town of Mt. Desert; and a cruise ship monitoring program in Bar Harbor that raised awareness about clean water and best management practices and made Bar Harbor what Conservation International considers a “sustainable cruise destination”. Supplementing the work of state agencies with the work of local non-profits and citizen volunteers assures that needed work gets done to open closed clamflats, keep swim beaches healthy, and protect public health.