UMaine Extension, Sea Grant working to keep Maine’s beaches clean, safe
Contact: Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3571; Keri Lindberg, (207) 832-0343
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant is working to keep Maine’s coastal beaches safe and clean, and recently received funding to continue their work.
Since 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided Maine with money to implement a beach monitoring, assessment and notification program known as Maine Healthy Beaches
Most recently, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection administered nearly $170,000 on behalf of the U.S. EPA to Keri Lindberg, a UMaine Extension marine professional, to continue the role of coordinating the The Maine Healthy Beaches Program in 2009.
The program is important, Lindberg says, because Maine’s beaches are valuable resources and offer a variety of recreational and economic opportunities.
Currently, 25 towns and state parks participate in this voluntary program with 60 beach management areas routinely monitored Memorial through Labor Day. Participating beaches span from Kittery to Mount Desert Island, and in 2008 UMaine Extension and Maine Sea Grant trained approximately 200 local level staff and volunteers to collect water samples using quality assured protocols.
The Healthy Beaches Program is a partnership among municipalities, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant, state agencies and nonprofit organizations.
UMaine Extension and Maine Sea Grant bring together a variety of stakeholders to address pollution issues impacting Maine’s inland and coastal water resources. The program works to educate both residents and visitors about the linkages between land-use practices and water quality, healthy beach habits, and how to avoid water-related illness at the beach.
“Beyond routine monitoring and notification, this program is an effective tool to combat non-point sources of pollution,” Lindberg says. “When high bacteria levels are documented on the beach, the program works at the community level to investigate sources in the upland watershed.”
For more information visit www.mainehealthybeaches.org.