Session 2: Water Protection Strategies
- Reconnecting to Maine’s Waters Through Recreation
- One Water – An Integrated Approach to Managing Maine’s Water Resources
Session 2A – Reconnecting to Maine’s Waters Through Recreation
Morning session – Pine Tree Room (North Wing, 2nd floor)
Chair: Alicia Heyburn, CommunityWorks LLC
Presenters are indicated in bold type.
1 credit available for this session through APA AICP. Please check the APA website for details.
Outdoor recreation is big business in Maine. Connecting people to place through adventurous and enjoyable outdoor experiences builds a stronger base for restoration and conservation of Maine’s spectacular aquatic resources. This session will share examples of transformative experiences in nature, and the ecological, educational and economic restoration that results.
8:30AM – 8:55AM
Reconnecting to the Androscoggin River
Becky Secrest
Program Coordinator, Androscoggin River Watershed Council, Bethel, ME
This talk will provide an overview of some of the projects that the Androscoggin River Watershed Council (ARWC) is working on as well as an in-depth analysis of their Source to Sea program including examples of educational presentations for each leg of the 170 mile journey down the Androscoggin River through New Hampshire and Maine. Information to be presented on the Source to Sea program includes what has worked well and not so well, typical educational talks on each leg of the journey, the new on-line Androscoggin River Trail Guide, the number of annual participants, recreation use changes along the river, special events, program funding and other challenges. ARWC projects to be discussed include ARWC Stewardship Program, fish passage projects, Brook Trout habitat restoration, water quality testing and watershed protection.
9:00AM – 9:25AM
Designing for Other Considerations in Dam Removal: Stakeholder Concerns, Economics, and Recreation
Tristan Taber (student)
University of Southern Maine, Gorham, Maine
Major flooding in the spring of 2008 forced Elkader, IA, to reexamine their connection to and planning around the Turkey River. The Turkey River overflowed its banks and flooded downtown businesses as well as multiple residences. Assessment of the area revealed issues of structural integrity in the now derelict hydroelectric dam, buildings in the floodplain, safety concerns with the toe dam, and a lack of connectivity to the river. Using funds from FEMA, the community of Elkader began to improve the potential value of the Turkey River.
In 2009 and 2010 students at Iowa State University worked with the community to evaluate stakeholder interests and economic drivers and develop implementation proposals. Stakeholders across demographics were contacted in a range of ways including cognitive maps and community surveys. In evaluating stakeholder interests it was realized that connection to the river from riverbanks, aspects of place attachment (especially to the derelict dam), and local economic drivers were high priorities.
Final proposals were developed and displayed in shop windows along West Bridge Street. In addition, an open-house, community feedback session was promoted in joint partnership with the Elkader city council. Final recommendations as components of the proposal were a trail system along the river corridor, whitewater playhole for kayakers and other recreationists, expansion of the floodplain, and reusing a portion of the derelict dam as an assembly space. Components of the proposal have been implemented at this time, including the whitewater playhole.
9:30AM – 9:55AM
Connecting River, People and Fish by Bike
Alicia Heyburn, CommunityWorks LLC
One of the many international bicycle routes crisscrossing Europe is EuroVelo 15, a 1233 kilometer signed trail from the source of Europe’s Rhine River in the Swiss Alps to the outlet at the North Sea near Amsterdam.
Traveling this route, one can experience the various characters of the river – wild, tamed, power-producing, awe-inspiring, industrial and bucolic. The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine is guided by several European Union directives to manage flooding, water quality and fish passage. Over the course of a five-week solo bicycle journey, Alicia Heyburn was able to meet with professionals at hydro power stations, fishermen, residents and management commissions who are working to improve river conditions for migratory fish, such as salmon, and encourage participation in World Fish Migration Day, April 18, 2018.
10:00AM – 10:25M
Discovering Your Inner Steward on the Maine Island Trail
Brian Marcaurelle
Program Director, Maine Island Trail Association, Portland, ME
The Maine Island Trail is the oldest recreational water trail in America. From humble beginnings it has grown into a world-class recreational resource, earning praise as the “Best Trail in Maine,” the “Best Sea kayaking Trail in America,” and “One of the 50 Best American Adventures” by national publications. Come and learn how this unique water trail – built on simple handshake agreements – helped engender a culture of low-impact recreational boating in Maine, and how the Maine Island Trail Association has worked to inspire island users to become stewards through an embrace of the Leopoldian land ethic.
Session 2B – One Water – An Integrated Approach to Managing Maine’s Water Resources
Afternoon session – Pine Tree Room (North Wing, 2nd floor)
Chair: Paula Drouin, Maine Water Environment Association
Presenters are indicated in bold type.
1 credit is available for this session through APA AICP. Please check the APA website for details.
Maine is known for the beauty and cleanliness of its lakes, rivers, streams and coastlines. Speakers in this session will provide a comprehensive and current overview of the water cycle in Maine. Topics will include: water sources, water treatment, water storage/distribution, wastewater collection/treatment, stormwater management, water quality, the current state of infrastructure and funding, and biosolids management.
1:30PM – 1:55PM
Protecting the Water Environment in Maine – Where have we been and where are we going?
Mac Richardson
Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority
This talk will provide a brief history of water quality in Maine and the construction of wastewater treatment plants. Discussion will include combined-sewer overflows (CSO’s), aging infrastructure and rehabilitation, and non-point sources, and will also touch on biosolids.
2:00PM – 2:25PM
Integrating Wastewater and Stormwater Planning and Programs
Fred Dillon1, Zach Henderson2, Tim Haskell3
1 Stormwater Program Manager, South Portland, ME
2 Technical Manager, Woodard & Curran, Portland, ME
3 Superintendent, York Sewer District, York, ME
New England’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure is straining under the effects of age, population growth, funding constraints, and severe weather. To meet these challenges, many communities are going to continue to need to aggressively rehabilitate and upgrade these systems. Increasingly, communities are utilizing an integrated management approach in which both “clean water” utilities are considered together.
A coordinated approach between sewer and stormwater system managers while planning and implementing sewer and drainage capital projects can improve efficiency, maximize Clean Water Act compliance, and will allow programs to achieve the greatest benefit from limited funding.
This presentation will provide insight into the resources, investigation and rehabilitation techniques, regulations, and initiatives undertaken by sewer and stormwater system managers to maximize use of limited resources, improve our clean water utility resiliency and comply with regulatory requirements while protecting and restoring Maine’s valuable water resources. The presentation will place the work of these related efforts into context and illustrate where regulatory drivers are creating synergies across sewer and drain (stormwater) programs.
Using specific examples from around New England, attendees will gain a broad understanding of the planning and implementation of sewer and stormwater collection system investigation and rehabilitation programs. They will learn about the regulatory frameworks that drive many of these projects, and how to identify opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing.
2:30PM – 3:00PM
Break
3:00PM – 3:25PM
Stream Dynamics in Headwaters of Postglacial Watershed Systems
Brett Gerard (student), Sean Smith
School of Earth and Climate Sciences and the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine
* 0.5 Training Contact Hours are available for this talk.
Watershed hydrologic processes in northern New England are influenced by climate, the post-glacial terrain, and landscape modifications made by humans following European colonization. With an emphasis on the Central and Coastal regions of Maine, this research uses a combination of field measurements, spatial data analysis, and numerical watershed modeling to examine the linkages between watershed geomorphic conditions, climate, and surface flow regimes driving stream channel hydraulic conditions and bed dynamics governing channel geometry.
Geo-spatial analyses examining varied assemblage of landscape conditions have been coupled with river discharge measurements, and analysis of stream channel response to varied flow regimes have been quantified in a manner that connects contemporary and predicted stream conditions to the history of glaciation and human activities. Modeling results suggest variable responses to climate change forecasts in the region, resulting in substantial flow regime alterations through snow pack, base flow, and peak flow adjustments. These flow modifications suggest altered sediment dynamics and modifications to channel geometry.
Observations and research results are summarized to accommodate watershed management and sustainability challenges confronting natural resource and environmental government agencies. The relations between watershed conditions, climate, hydrologic flow regime, and fluvial geomorphology provide a basis to develop strategies for management of nonpoint source pollution, aquatic habitat, and drinking water resources.
3:30PM – 3:55PM
Geospatial Models Aid in Shoreland Zoning for Rural Maine Communities
Tora Johnson, Olivia Streit (student)
University of Maine at Machias, Machias, ME
Maine’s Shoreland Zoning Act was first enacted in 1971 and has been amended several times since. The 2006 revision was met with widespread protest in Downeast Maine because of confusion over how and where restrictions on development would apply. The law requires each municipality to adopt an ordinance and zoning map limiting activity within a buffer zone around certain wetlands and water bodies. The law is exceedingly complex, and many small rural municipalities lack the technical capacity to create compliant maps. If they fail to adopt a map and ordinance, they are subject to a state-imposed version. To assist Washington County municipalities in complying with the shoreland zoning law and retaining local control, the University of Maine at Machias Geographic Information Systems Laboratory worked with the Washington County Council of Governments to create a geospatial model that generates maps of required shoreland zones. First used to comply with the 2006 amendment, the model was recreated in 2017 to address changes in the law and available data. Using GIS modeling has allowed us to iteratively refine methods in consultation with state officials and quickly produce maps for small towns who could otherwise not afford to hire consultants. GIS modeling to create shoreland zoning maps has helped to spur compliance and quell Downeast opposition to the law. However, state shoreland zoning guidelines include unclear and contradictory language that cannot be definitively applied using existing data. We suggest that key changes to the law and guidelines would streamline implementation and improve compliance.