Improving Maine’s Coastal Infrastructure Upgrade Decisions through High Frequency Nutrient Measurements in Casco Bay
Principal Investigator: Damian Brady (UMaine Darling Marine Center and School of Marine Sciences)
Partners: Aaron Strong (UMaine, School of Marine Sciences), Karen Wilson (USM, Department of Environmental Science and Policy), Maine DEP, the Portland Water District, and Friends of Casco Bay
Abstract: There is growing interest in the consequences of an increased human population on coastal water quality in southern Maine. The potential for coastal eutrophication and hypoxia in Casco Bay due to wastewater- and storm water-derived human nitrogen inputs is of particular concern. Nitrogen loading can have significant economic consequences due to impacts on commercial fisheries and recreational opportunities. Moreover, the decisions by water quality managers about how and when to upgrade nitrogen management infrastructure carry price tags in the tens of millions of dollars. The EPA’s Clean Watersheds Needs Assessment for Maine calculated that $1 billion is needed to upgrade our D+ rated wastewater infrastructure. All of the relevant municipal, state, federal managers, and non-profit advocacy groups have identified a key data gap that could help inform decisions about how to invest limited infrastructure funds: the relative contribution of different sources of nitrogen to Casco Bay and the form of those nitrogen inputs. This proposal seeks seed funds that would allow the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine to work with Maine DEP, the Portland Water District, and Friends of Casco Bay to help fill that key data gap and provide the best available information on which to base decisions that will set a profound precedent for future coastal infrastructure management in Maine.