Casco Bay Casco
fight for clean water worldwide water clean for fight support Friends of of Friends support
households 300
Waterkeepers
2,400 2,400
Waterkeeper Alliance Waterkeeper
YOU
of Casco Bay Casco of
partner with us with partner
of service to Friends Friends to service of
100+
organizations
99 years share share
268
volunteers part by Casco Bay Estuary Partnership. Estuary Bay Casco by part
Staff changes. The Continuous Monitoring Station has been funded in in funded been has Station Monitoring Continuous The changes.
Bay can help our communities assess, mitigate, and adapt to those those to adapt and mitigate, assess, communities our help can Bay
algal blooms, and other threats to the health of the Bay. the of health the to threats other and blooms, algal
affecting the health of our waters. These data on a changing Casco Casco changing a on data These waters. our of health the affecting
microplastics, and follow up on reports of pollution, nuisance nuisance pollution, of reports on up follow and microplastics,
insights into how climate change and ocean acidification may be be may acidification ocean and change climate how into insights
new technologies for measuring nitrogen and sampling for for sampling and nitrogen measuring for technologies new
and economically viable. viable. economically and We are building a long-term, continuous data set that will provide provide will that set data continuous long-term, a building are We
acidification may be impacting our marine resources, assess assess resources, marine our impacting be may acidification
businesses to find solutions that are both environmentally sound sound environmentally both are that solutions find to businesses
which we monitor the health of our waters, study how how study waters, our of health the monitor we which 365 days a year, on many different indicators of water quality. quality. water of indicators different many on year, a days 365
We collaborate with researchers, residents, decision makers, and and makers, decision residents, researchers, with collaborate We
is foremost a research vessel, from from vessel, research a foremost is Payne E. Joseph The hourly, data collect sensor dioxide carbon a and sonde data A
valuable data and observations on the health of the Bay. Bay. the of health the on observations and data valuable Yarmouth, near the coastal midpoint of Casco Bay. Bay. Casco of midpoint coastal the near Yarmouth,
show them the resource we all are responsible for protecting. for responsible are all we resource the them show
marshes, urge their legislators to protect the Bay, and collect collect and Bay, the protect to legislators their urge marshes, inside a modified lobster trap anchored off off anchored trap lobster modified a inside
We guide reporters, film crews, and donors around the Bay to to Bay the around donors and crews, film reporters, guide We
us host outreach events, pick up trash from beaches and salt salt and beaches from trash up pick events, outreach host us Our Continuous Monitoring Station is housed housed is Station Monitoring Continuous Our
understood from the water.” water.” the from understood Volunteers stencil clean water messages on storm drains, help help drains, storm on messages water clean stencil Volunteers
be changing over time. over changing be
Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca says, “Many of our concerns are best best are concerns our of “Many says, Frignoca Ivy Baykeeper
quality from our boat and docks along the waterfront. waterfront. the along docks and boat our from quality
continuously to understand how the Bay may may Bay the how understand to continuously
Protection (DEP), and Casco Bay municipalities. Casco Casco municipalities. Bay Casco and (DEP), Protection
hours a year a hours 1972 the responsibility of preserving this amazing Bay! amazing this preserving of responsibility the
pumping out sewage from small boats, or monitoring water water monitoring or boats, small from sewage out pumping science” enables us to monitor water quality quality water monitor to us enables science”
Agency (EPA), the Maine Department of Environmental Environmental of Department Maine the (EPA), Agency
and are willing to work together. We all share the privilege and and privilege the share all We together. work to willing are and
8,760 legislative meetings, tramping across mud flats, picking up litter, litter, up picking flats, mud across tramping meetings, legislative The automated technology of our “cage of of “cage our of technology automated The
regulators, including staff from the Environmental Protection Protection Environmental the from staff including regulators,
We are fortunate to live in a place where so many people care care people many so where place a in live to fortunate are We
You may see our staff members listening or persuading at at persuading or listening members staff our see may You
of the U.S. since since U.S. the of Bay from a different perspective, for government officials and and officials government for perspective, different a from Bay Station Monitoring Continuous
records data records organizations, and foundations near and far. far. and near foundations and organizations,
associates.
an all too rare opportunity to examine issues that threaten the the threaten that issues examine to opportunity rare too all an Act Act
has protected waters waters protected has
who support our work, including families, local businesses, businesses, local families, including work, our support who Monitoring Station Monitoring our Board and Volunteers our closest closest our Volunteers and Board our and new approaches to issues we all care about. We provide provide We about. care all we issues to approaches new and
The Clean Water Water Clean The
their time and treasure. We thank the broad spectrum of donors donors of spectrum broad the thank We treasure. and time their from many different sectors, we consider consider we sectors, different many from
departments and agencies to foster new working relationships relationships working new foster to agencies and departments
Continuous Continuous
from dumping treated or untreated sewage. untreated or treated dumping from
Friends of Casco Bay through donations of of donations through Bay Casco of Friends coordinator. While we work with partners partners with work we While coordinator. We convene floating meetings of policy makers from different different from makers policy of meetings floating convene We
facilities before granting this designation, which prohibits boats boats prohibits which designation, this granting before facilities
Community members support the work of of work the support members Community
staff members and a seasonal pumpout pumpout seasonal a and members staff
boat berths. berths. boat Area in Maine. The EPA requires that there are adequate pumpout pumpout adequate are there that requires EPA The Maine. in Area
Friends of Casco Bay has 8 full-time full-time 8 has Bay Casco of Friends
citizens today. today. citizens
working waterfront clogged with toxic sediments that displace displace that sediments toxic with clogged waterfront working
Casco Bay to become the first federally-designated No Discharge Discharge No federally-designated first the become to Bay Casco
of Casco Bay Casco of
rely on the involvement of concerned concerned of involvement the on rely of raw sewage since 1995 since sewage raw of Partners and Volunteers, Staff,
coastal flooding from sea level rise and historic storms, and a a and storms, historic and rise level sea from flooding coastal
marinas to install their own pumpout stations, setting the stage for for stage the setting stations, pumpout own their install to marinas
square miles square
volunteers in 1989, and we continue to to continue we and 1989, in volunteers
the Bay, suspicious algal blooms never detected here before, before, here detected never blooms algal suspicious Bay, the
Our knowledge of pumpout facilities helped encourage local local encourage helped facilities pumpout of knowledge Our
195,000
gallons
200
Friends of Casco Bay was started by by started was Bay Casco of Friends and combined sewer pipes that disgorge polluted water into into water polluted disgorge that pipes sewer combined and
in South Portland. South in
provides a water-level view of issues such as stormwater runoff runoff stormwater as such issues of view water-level a provides
YOU YOU
over removed has
monitor us helps
An invaluable partner in all of our boat work is Port Harbor Marine Marine Harbor Port is work boat our of all in partner invaluable An
care about the health of the Bay. This 28-foot Baykeeper boat boat Baykeeper 28-foot This Bay. the of health the about care
Boat Pumpout
Boat Baykeeper together to work for clean water, and reach out to those who who those to out reach and water, clean for work to together marinas, dock wranglers, and the DEP’s marine pumpout program. pumpout marine DEP’s the and wranglers, dock marinas, discharges.
platform to conduct scientific studies, bring stakeholders stakeholders bring studies, scientific conduct to platform is our ambassador on the Bay, acting as a liaison with customers, customers, with liaison a as acting Bay, the on ambassador our is designations, setting permanent, tougher controls on future future on controls tougher permanent, setting designations,
provides a safe, reliable reliable safe, a provides Payne E. Joseph Vessel Research Our wastewater to shoreside disposal. Pumpout Coordinator Jim Splude Splude Jim Coordinator Pumpout disposal. shoreside to wastewater been used to reclassify parts of Casco Bay to higher water quality quality water higher to Bay Casco of parts reclassify to used been
their sewage holding tanks and transferring the the transferring and tanks holding sewage their
“priority areas” for federal cleanup funding. Our data also have have also data Our funding. cleanup federal for areas” “priority
to find common ground. common find to
of the Bay firsthand. firsthand. Bay the of
strategies to reduce stormwater pollution. stormwater reduce to strategies
from South Portland to Freeport, pumping out out pumping Freeport, to Portland South from
sections of the Fore River degraded by stormwater pollution as as pollution stormwater by degraded River Fore the of sections
there, too, to see the threats to the health health the to threats the see to too, there, laws or ordinances. ordinances. or laws Bay. For us, advocacy is about relationship building. We work work We building. relationship about is advocacy us, For Bay.
Waterkeepers from across northeastern US and Canada to share share to Canada and US northeastern across from Waterkeepers
services recreational boats boats recreational services II Baykeeper The
Under the Clean Water Act, our data were used to designate designate to used were data our Act, Water Clean the Under
the Bay year-round, and we take others others take we and year-round, Bay the enforcement of existing laws and for the creation of new new of creation the for and laws existing of enforcement for citizens to assist us in our work and to advocate for Casco Casco for advocate to and work our in us assist to citizens for Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca hosted a regional meeting of of meeting regional a hosted Frignoca Ivy Baykeeper Casco
As a marine organization, we are on or by by or on are we organization, marine a As
sewage out of the Bay. the of out sewage those permits are as protective as possible. as protective as are permits those lake, or bayou, on the public’s behalf. In November 2017, 2017, November In behalf. public’s the on bayou, or lake, on regional or more complex problems, we advocate for the the for advocate we problems, complex more or regional on engagement opportunities provide a wide array of activities activities of array wide a provide opportunities engagement
policy, and public engagement converge. converge. engagement public and policy, Boat has kept over 195,000 gallons of raw raw of gallons 195,000 over kept has Boat into Casco Bay. We review, comment, and advocate to ensure ensure to advocate and comment, review, We Bay. Casco into
required to have a boat to patrol and protect their bay, river, river, bay, their protect and patrol to boat a have to required at a time to change their practices. Other times, especially especially times, Other practices. their change to time a at importance of the health of the Bay in mind. Our community community Our mind. in Bay the of health the of importance
Our Baykeeper boat is where science, science, where is boat Baykeeper Our Since it was launched in 1995, our Pumpout Pumpout our 1995, in launched was it Since permits set strict standards for pollutants that can be released released be can that pollutants for standards strict set permits advocate for a particular water body. Waterkeepers are are Waterkeepers body. water particular a for advocate
Bay using education, convincing one homeowner or business business or homeowner one convincing education, using Bay habitat and work to ensure that public policies keep the the keep policies public that ensure to work and habitat
systems, and still-hot “cooling water” from power plants. These These plants. power from water” “cooling still-hot and systems,
A Waterkeeper is a full-time, privately-funded, non-governmental non-governmental privately-funded, full-time, a is Waterkeeper A Baykeeper Boat Baykeeper Pumpout Boat Pumpout
Washington, D.C. Sometimes, we protect the health of the the of health the protect we Sometimes, D.C. Washington, of this incredible resource. We see water as fundamental fundamental as water see We resource. incredible this of
wastewater, stormwater, combined sewer sewer combined stormwater, wastewater,
six continents. continents. six
forums—from town halls to the halls of the State House to to House State the of halls the to halls town forums—from throughout our community, to help protect the health health the protect help to community, our throughout
on draft permits that regulate discharges of of discharges regulate that permits draft on
Waterkeeper organizations and affiliates on on affiliates and organizations Waterkeeper
science. Our advocacy efforts take place in many many in place take efforts advocacy Our science. is committed to building a sense of shared ownership ownership shared of sense a building to committed is The Clean Water Act enables us to weigh in in weigh to us enables Act Water Clean The
organization has grown to more than 300 300 than more to grown has organization