Winter 2006 Page 1 Volume 3, Issue 1 Winter 2006 Courses of Change

Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 1 Volume 3, Issue 1 Winter 2006 Courses of Change

Making the Choice: Pervious versus Impervious

As you look out your front window otherside. Instead the water quickly ered by a pourous surface, these you may not be able to see it under- glides along the pavement in search contaminates are naturally filtered neath all the snow but you may be of a surface that is considered per- out before they reach the ground- thinking about it. For many of us, the thought and planning of warmer weather projects helps carry us through the long cold winter months. A project that is becoming increas- ingly popular is the paving of driveways. While convenience may be the main reason to consider pavement, have you thought about the possible detrimental impact impervious surfaces have on water quality?

When we dig around in our back- yards, either to plant a tree or to put in a foundation, we are in what is called the unsaturated zone. When we hire someone to drill a new well, they must go down through that zone Source: http://www.kpud.org/water_resource/edu_pages/grndwtr_101.html until they hit the saturated zone. That distance can be anywhere from a vious, or pourous (with holes in it). water supply. few feet to a few hundred feet de- Although this may seem like an in- ..continued on Page 5 pending on where you are. The up- significant issue, a problem arises in per portion of the saturated zone is that the water moves across the im- referred to as the water table and pervious surface picking up contami- Inside Our Winter Issue... below that is our reservoir of ground- nates along the way such as oil, gas, water. When the rain falls or the fertilizers, sediment and even bac- Executive Director’s Column 2 snow melts, that water percolates teria. When the water does finally through the unsaturated zone until it reach a pervious surface, or a Water Quality Update 3 reaches and replenishes our ground- waterbody, it can be full of all these water supply. By now you may be pollutants which in turn introduces a Crossword Contest 4 wondering what this has to do with huge surge of contamination into our your driveway. water supply. On the other hand, Notes from Upstream 5 when precipitation is allowed to Pavement is an impervious surface gradually penetrate through the un- Pervious vs Impervious, cont. 5 which means the precipitation that saturated zone, as it does in unpaved falls upon it can’t get through to the areas or in areas that have been cov- Images of the Past 6 “Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973 Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 2

Courses of Change is a quarterly publication of the Saco River Corridor Commission. We encourage our Executive Director’s Column... readers to submit ideas for publication in future issues. The deadline for submission in our Spring 2006 edition The Saco River Corridor Commis- volved must understand the resource is April 15, 2006. sion has begun the new year with needs of each part of the commu- SRCC Staff five new members! During the past nity. Over the next few months, as Dennis Finn, Executive Director several weeks we have welcomed winter gives way to spring, a group Lynn Gorham, Executive Assistant & community members from Den- of Commissioners will meet periodi- Clerk of the Board mark, Limington, Parsonsfield, Saco, cally to discuss issues important to Joy Chasse, Administrative Assistant and Standish as our newest volun- this Commission and to the towns Frank Morse, Environmental Compli- ance Evaluator teer Commissioners. We are very we serve. Topics that we will con- excited about the new faces, how- sider include community awareness, SRCC Executive Committee ever, we still have vacancies in the outreach and education, and how can Mike Towns, Chairperson (Waterboro) Towns of Baldwin, Buxton, Cornish, the Commission encourage and fos- Judy Ingram, 1st Vice Chairperson (Parsonsfield) Dayton, and Newfield. We also ter wise resource use. George McNeil, 2nd Vice Chairperson have slots open for alternate posi- (Standish) tions to represent the communities With each passing year, we see a Jane Bryant, Treasurer (Limerick) of Brownfield, Fryeburg, Hiram, greater influx of development com- Toni Carros, Secretary (Limerick) Hollis, and Waterboro. We encour- ing in from outside of the corridor Contact Information age anyone who is reading this that leading to a larger and larger com- Saco River Corridor Commission lives in those towns to contact the munity. The construction of second P.O. Box 283 Commission Office to discuss how homes, the purchase of land for fu- 20 Main Street, Suite C you can volunteer for a unique ture speculation and the building and Cornish, Maine 04020-0283 Telephone 207-625-8123 agency that is unlike any other or- selling of homes for a recreational Fax 207-625-7050 ganization in the entire state! market are all taking place at a tre- [email protected] mendous rate. Many people come www.srcc-maine.org As we usher in the New Year the to Maine to experience the clean Mission Statement Commission is, as always, looking water and air, the rural atmosphere The Saco River Corridor Commission toward the future. Currently our and the slower pace of life. Many is committed to protect public health, regulatory work and water quality people come here because the ar- safety, and the quality of life for the monitoring have worked well to- eas they currently live in are already State of Maine through the regulation gether. The regulations are designed overly developed and in many in- of land and water uses, protection and conservation of the region’s unique and to protect our resources and the stances spoiled. It is a paradox that exceptional natural resources, and monitoring program was put in place folks will come to this area for its through the prevention of impacts to ensure that the regulations are beauty and yet within a short time caused by incompatible development. working. But are these two pro- they want to recreate the areas that grams enough? Will our valuable re- they are trying to escape from. sources be protected on the strength These increasing demands on the of these two elements not just now community we live in is of great con- but into the future? cern to the Commission and one of the primary reasons we felt it was We view our role as Commissioners important to discuss the issues that and staff as members of a commu- are important to all members of our nity. In this instance, our commu- regional community. nity is twenty towns strong. To work Printed on Recycled Paper by: within this extended community, to Dennis Finn has been the Cardinal Printing Company - Denmark, be active and involved, and to make Commission’s Executive Director Maine a sincere contribution, all entities in- since 1995.

“Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973 Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 3

Water Quality Update

Believe it or not, our sixth water qual- is available on our website located ity testing season is scheduled to at www.srcc-maine.org. When you begin the week of April 10th. Al- visit our website you can also learn though we have no planned in- more information about our monitor- creases to the current 29 monitoring ing program including the exact test- sites we are always looking to ex- ing locations, explanations of all wa- pand our monitoring efforts in the ter quality parameters, why we State of New Hampshire. In addi- chose to monitor those parameters, tion, we encourage input from the and product information on the equip- Maine communities within the Saco ment our volunteers use as part of River Corridor regarding sites along our program. the rivers that may have changing needs that should be monitored. Before testing begins in just two short months, we are scheduling manda- We are however, hoping to begin tory training sessions for all water sampling macroinvertebrates during quality volunteers. This training is the 2006 testing season. required as part of our Quality As- “Time is a sort of river of Macroinvertebrates are organisms surance Project Plan (QAPP) which passing events, and strong is that are large (macro) enough to be is a formal agreement between the its current; no sooner is a seen with the naked eye and lack a Saco River Corridor Commission thing brought to sight than it backbone (invertebrate). These and the United States Environmen- is swept by and another aquatic organisms live in all types of tal Protection Agency. A QAPP is takes its place, and this too running waters and typically live ei- a document which outlines all pro- will be swept away.” ther part or most of their lives at- cedures of a monitoring project to tached to submerged rocks, wood ensure that testing results are accu- debris, or vegetation. These organ- rate. Our particular QAPP is unique -- Marcus Aurelius isms are very intolerent of pollution in that it also covers the water qual- which is one reason why they are ity monitoring efforts of the Green good indicators of water quality. Mountain Conservation Group More information to come on this (GMCG) based in Freedom, New expansion to our program in the Hampshire. The GMCG has been spring. monitoring locations in New Hamp- shire since 2002. To learn more We now have five years of data cov- about the Green Mountain ering over 100 miles of river within Conseration Group or the sites they the State of Maine. Since the in- monitor please visit their website lo- ception of this program our dedicated cated at www.gmcg.org. SRCC volunteers and staff have performed volunteers will be notified of specific over 19,000 individual water quality training dates as the spring nears. measurements. Our current paramemters include pH, tempera- If you are interested in becoming a ture, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, al- volunteer or would just like more in- kalinity, Escherichia coli, total formation please contact the Com- Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, mission Office for details. and orthophosphate. All of our data

“Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973 Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 4

Crossword Contest Deadline: April 1, 2006

12 Each reader who 4 correctly completes 56 and submits this 7 8 9 crossword will be 10 entered into a draw- ing to receive one of the following books. 12 13

Small Wonder 15 16 By Barbara 17 Kingsolver or The River Reader 18 By John A. Murray

PLEASE CIRCLE WHICH BOOK YOU

19 2 PREFER.

www.CrosswordWeaver.com ACROSS 1 Insoluble material suspended in water that consists mainly of particles derived from rocks, soil, and organic materials 7 An underground layer of unconsolidated rock or soil that is saturated with usable amounts of water 10 With oxygen, needing oxygen for cellular respiration 12 An atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons 15 Water pollution control laws based upon the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 17 A substance in gaseous form 18 A branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments 19 An element considered the key nutrient in controlling eutrophication in lakes and ponds 20 Having a pH value of less than 7

DOWN 2 A marine ecosystem where freshwater enters the ocean 3 Fit or suitable for drinking 4 A person whose work is making maps or charts 5 The place or type of site where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows 6 A naturally occurring change that takes place after a water body received inputs of nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates, from erosion and runoff of surrounding lands 8 The science that deals with the physical, chemical, and biological properties and features of fresh waters, especially lakes and ponds 9 A stream that flows into a larger stream, river, or another waterbody 11 Imaginary line on the surface of the Earth connecting points of the same elevation 13 To follow a winding course 14 Land area from which water drains to a particular water body 16 Areas that, at least periodically, have waterlogged soils or are covered with a relatively shallow layer of water

“Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973 Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 5

Notes From Upstream

Water levels remain high with 7.97 through the winter for the second tivities. Excessive levels of salts in inches of rain recorded at the USGS year with sampling occurring at six waterways can have detrimental Tamworth station on the Bearcamp sites, one in each of the watershed impacts to drinking water and River for the month of October. towns. Physical parameters have aquatic life. Higher livels of chlo- Although the wetlands have been been analyzed for RIVERS and ride can be toxic to certain forms fo retaining much of the excess water, Ossipee Lake Tributaries sites, with aquatic life, and plant species can be a few towns experienced flooding some interesting results. This was impacted by much lower concentra- with roadway damage in a number the first year the GMCG was able tions. To learn more about how your of cases. According to Larry to collect conductivity data for the town can implement best manage- Dingman, professor emeritus at the sites with the purchase of a multi ment practices such as de-icing al- University of New Hampshire, al- parameter meter earlier in the sea- ternatives, proper storage of salt, though all of this rain has swelled riv- son. Specific conductivity levels minimal impact salting strategies, ers and streams, much of it is filling were elevated above 100 uS/cm and proper snow disposal practices, the acquifers since the trees have (microsiemens per centimeter) at a visit: http:// lost their leaves and are no longer few of the sites, indicating some form www.des.state.nh.us.factsheets. taking up any water. In fact, this of impairing input. Feedback from October the responses of municipal officials and bracketing of grounwater and streams has been so sites has led us to believe that con- immediate and pronounced that tamination from road salt application Tara Schroeder is the Program Di- records are being broken for ground on major roadways may be the cause rector for the Green Mountain water and surface water levels. of these higher readings in a few of Conservation Group’s RIVERS Predictions for a snowy winter on the cases. According to the NH Water Quality Monitoring Pro- top of saturated ground water levels Department of Environmental Ser- gram which began four years should make for a muddy spring! vices, conductivity levels are in- ago. If you have any questions, creasing at a statistically significant Tara can be reached at the The Ossipee Watershed RIVERS rate in the state’s freshwater bod- GMCG’s Freedom Office at 603- monitoring program continues ies, largely due to road salting ac- 539-1859.

Pervious vs Impervious ...Continued from Page 1

The next question many of you may driveways has the potential to cre- ity. There are vast amounts of in- have is how can your seemingly ate a negative impact on water qual- formation available to the home- small driveway have such a huge ity. The Saco River Corridor Com- owner by simply searching “pave- impact on water quality. Well, if your mission (SRCC) has been testing ment alternatives” on the internet. driveway was the only one it prob- water quality at various locations The SRCC is planning to schedule a ably wouldn’t have a significantly along the Saco, Ossipee, and Little public speaker during an upcoming measurable impact. The problem is Ossipee Rivers for the past five Commission Meeting for either in the fact that more and more years. As the number of paving March or April to discuss this topic homeowners are opting for pavment projects increase over the years, we with area residents. Please check for various reasons. The may have an opportunity to see the our website for more details as the cummulative impact of all these effect pavement has on water qual- time nears.

“Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973 Courses of Change - Winter 2006 Page 6 Saco River Corridor Commission P.O. Box 283 20 Main Street, Suite C Cornish, Maine 04020-0283

COURSES OF CHANGE - WINTER, 2006

• Our newsletter is available on the web at www.srcc-maine.org. If you would like to receive this publication electronically, please send us your e- mail address.

• Has your address changed? If so please let us know!

Images From The Past

The excerpt and photo below were taken from White Pine on the Saco River: An Oral History of River Driving in Southern Maine by Michael P. Chaney and published by the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine, Orono, Maine.

“This was at Salmon Falls, which is you were stranded out there. What underwater now, you know. It was they would do, they would let a fel- really a pretty wild place. You had low go out and take those logs off, to be very careful. There was a toss him a rope, he would tie it around rock there, just below the bridge, and his waist and hang on, and just jump.” the logs would jam against that. They would go through alright, but certain logs, they would keep building up there once in a while. When you let the tail end of the drive through, there would be a dozen or fifteen logs left on this rock. They would be winged A view of Turtle Rock in Salmon in to the shore on the east side so Falls Gorge in the 1920’s now that you could walk out onto them flooded by the Skelton Dam (built alright, but, if you took the logs off in 1945 - 1947).

“Communities Working Together To Protect Our Rivers” Established 1973