2025 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference

Thursday, March 27, 2025
Augusta Civic Center
Augusta, Maine

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Session C – Sustainable Groundwater Management in Maine’s Changing Climate: Scientific and Community Perspectives

Morning Session
Presenters are indicated in bold font.

Session Co-Chairs
Jessie Meeks, Maine Geological Survey, Jessica.L.Meeks@maine.gov
Carol White, C.A. White & Associates LLC, carol@cawhitemaine.com

The importance of groundwater as a drinking water source and to streamflow and ecological habitats in Maine is well established. Approximately 50% of Maine homeowners get their drinking water from groundwater wells. Climate change related impacts, including changes in precipitation, temperature, droughts and sea level rise are expected to affect both the quality and quantity of available groundwater in Maine. These impacts will be especially challenging in coastal communities with limited groundwater resources. This session will focus on our current scientific understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on groundwater resources in the State – and data gaps that remain. We also invite community perspectives on how these concerns are being evaluated at the local level as Maine’s towns plan for a resilient future.

Session Schedule

Morning Session

8:30AM – 8:55AM
Assessing saltwater intrusion on Maine’s coastal fractured bedrock aquifers

Jessica Meeks, Maine Geological Survey, Jessica.L.Meeks@maine.gov

The potential impacts of saltwater intrusion on aquifers are of growing concern to coastal communities subject to ongoing development and climate change-induced sea level rise. The aquifers supplying the peninsular and island communities of Maine can be viewed as freshwater lenses that perch above, and are surrounded by, denser seawater. Further, they are solely replenished by infiltrating precipitation and support withdrawals for drinking water and irrigation. When aquifer withdrawal rates are high, precipitation is low, or sea level rises, the denser waters of the ocean can opportunistically intrude into the edges of the freshwater lenses making those peripheral waters brackish. If this intrusion continues, the edges of the freshwater lenses, which were once potable, become non-potable. It is anticipated that saltwater intrusion into the freshwater lenses will be exacerbated by rising sea levels and increased water demands associated with development pressure, potentially leaving coastal areas with degraded water quality. Thus, the Maine Geological Survey (MGS) seeks, in collaboration with federal and community partners, to understand how the balance of aquifer replenishment and extraction is shifting over time by establishing a saltwater intrusion monitoring network throughout the coast. Data from this monitoring network will reveal trends in water quality and quantity essential for sustainable water resource management.

9:00AM – 9:25AM
Maine Drinking Water Program initiatives to address climate-related impacts to PWS and private wells in Maine

Susan Breau, Hydrogeologist, Maine CDC Drinking Water Program, Susan.Breau@maine.gov

Changes to groundwater quantity and quality consistent with climate change-related impacts are evident in both public and private drinking water supplies statewide in Maine. The Maine CDC Drinking Water Program (DWP) works with public water systems (PWSs) and private well owners to help them plan for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the impacts of drought, intense storm events, chemistry changes, and other climate-related events. This session will go over some of the tools and techniques the DWP uses to help support PWSs and private well owners in maintaining safe drinking water as Maine’s climate changes.

9:30AM – 9:55AM
The WaterWise Harpswell Initiative: A Community-Driven Approach to Groundwater Sustainability

Harpswell Conservation Commission Members:
Mary Ann Nahf, manahf@comcast.net
Jennifer Zagariello, jzagariello@gmail.com
Nancy West, nancywwest@gmail.com
Wendy Batson
Anne Caldwell
Tony Barrett
Jamie Hark

The Water Wise Harpswell initiative Series addresses the urgent need for sustainable groundwater management in the face of climate change by combining education with community action. Spearheaded by the Harpswell Conservation Commission, the initiative begins with building a foundational understanding of groundwater science in a bedrock aquifer, including the impacts of climate change, extraction methods, and the role of data in predicting future water availability. This educational foundation is followed by actionable steps to address local water supply challenges, such as reducing water waste, repairing household leaks, harvesting rainwater, and adopting water-efficient appliances. A third session is planned for Spring 2025. It is entitled The Power of Plants:  Learn why vegetation is your most powerful WaterWise asset. 

Workshops empower residents to implement these strategies, while expert engagement has played a key role in reinforcing the initiative’s scientific basis. Hydrogeologist Jessica Meeks of the Maine Geological Survey highlighted the importance of understanding Harpswell’s potable water sources and called for increased community participation in data collection to improve future water resource predictions.

This presentation will explore the purpose, approach, and outcomes of the WaterWise initiative, emphasizing how education fosters informed community action. Key results include increased community awareness and participation in water conservation efforts. 

By sharing Harpswell’s experience, this session aims to inspire other communities to adopt similar grassroots approaches, effectively bridging scientific understanding with actionable, community-led solutions to address the impacts of climate change on water resources.

10:00AM – 10:25AM
The Town of Long Island Groundwater Sustainability Study

Emma Morgan, 2024 Long Island Resilience Fellow, Emma.Morgan@maine.gov
Christian LaMontagne, Groundwater Quality Committee Chair
Janice Avignon, Resilience Fellow Supervisor, Long Island Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee

The Town of Long Island’s Comprehensive Plan identified groundwater sustainability as the top community concern. The town was awarded a grant from the Community Resilience Partnership to conduct a groundwater sustainability study to assess the quality and quantity of the island’s groundwater and potential impacts of climate change. Long Island, located in Casco Bay, is vulnerable to the increasing frequency and severity of storms, changing precipitation patterns, sea level rise and development needs. With the grant funds and community volunteers, the town completed a community wide well survey and tested over 150 private and public wells to update the town’s existing groundwater data. Using this data, the town identified areas on the island that are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and bacterial contamination. The next steps of the study include a detailed aquifer analysis, additional monitoring, and continued community education. Collaborating with other islands in Casco Bay facing similar challenges or islands who have previously completed the sampling process was critical to the success of the first phase of the study.