University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Publications Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) 2002 State of the New Meadows River, Final Report Christopher S. Heinig MER Assessment Corporation Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cbep-publications Recommended Citation Heinig, Christopher S., "State of the New Meadows River, Final Report" (2002). Publications. 271. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cbep-publications/271 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Final Report State of the New Meadows River A report on the current environmental and resource status of the New Meadows River and surrounding watershed Prepared for New Meadows River Watershed Project Steering Committee Prepared by Christopher S. Heinig MER Assessment Corporation 14 Industrial Parkway Brunswick, Maine 04011 207.798.7935 [email protected] April 16, 2002 Acknowledgment This project would not have succeeded had it not been for the dedicated participation of the members of the New Meadows River Watershed Project Steering Committee. Over the course of this project the Committee included: Theo Holtwijk (Chairman), Director of Planning and Development, Town of Brunswick, Michael Feldman, Brunswick Town Councilor, Ralph Merry, Town of West Bath Selectman, David Chipman, Town of Harpswell Selectman, Robert Cummings, Town of Phippsburg, Dr. Walter Rosen, Brunswick Conservation Commission, Elsa Martz, Representative for the Town Harpswell, Eric Butler, Brunswick Marine Resources Committee, Roger McNelley and James Hennessey, West Bath Marine Resources Committee, Arthur Dodge, Harpswell Marine Resources Committee, James Upham, City of Bath Planner, George Pollard, City of Bath Planning Board, Edward Benedikt and Anne Hammond, New Meadows Lakes Association, Diane Gould, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Katherine Groves, Casco Bay Estuary Project (CBEP), Todd Janeski, Maine State Planning Office (SPO), Sherry Hanson and Laura Livingston, Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Lee Doggett and Donald Kale, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Dr. Edward Laine, and Cathryn Field Bowdoin College, Alan Houston and Steve Walker, Town of Brunswick Natural Resources Planners, Michael Doan and Peter Milholland, Friends of Casco Bay (FOCB), Jon Hentz, Town of West Bath Shellfish Warden. Staff to the Committee Christopher Heinig, MER Assessment Corporation, Project Coordinator Project Assistance Anneliese Heinig, MER Assessment Corporation, Project Assistant, and Brittany Hyde, Casco Bay Estuary Project summer-intern Special Thanks Our special thanks are extended to Mike Young, Assistant to the Selectmen, Town of Phippsburg, Paul Bird, Kristie Eiane, and Jeremy Hatch, Town of Harpswell, Padi Howard and Phil Carey, Town of Brunswick Department of Planning and Development, Laura Livingston, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Joe Payne, BayKeeper, and staff of Friends of Casco Bay, Barry Jackson, Greater Portland Council of Governments, and faculty and students of the Geology Department, Bowdoin College. Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... i Introduction................................................................................................................................................... 1 Location ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Geology and Geological History .................................................................................................................. 4 Human History.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Population Growth........................................................................................................................................ 7 Recent Demographics ................................................................................................................................. 10 Land Use and Zoning.................................................................................................................................. 12 Town of Brunswick ....................................................................................................................... 12 Town of West Bath ........................................................................................................................ 13 Town of Harpswell ........................................................................................................................ 13 City of Bath.................................................................................................................................... 14 Town of Phippsburg....................................................................................................................... 14 Water Quality.............................................................................................................................................. 20 Physical and Chemical Characteristics .......................................................................................... 20 Nutrients and Eutrophication ......................................................................................................... 22 Control of growth by limiting factors: light and essential nutrients ................................. 22 Acceptable Nitrogen Levels.............................................................................................. 23 Existing data for the New Meadows River .................................................................................... 23 Friends of Casco Bay (FOCB) Data ................................................................................. 23 Temperature and salinity of the New Meadows River............................................... 25 Dissolved oxygen in the New Meadows River .......................................................... 26 Nutrients in the New Meadows River ........................................................................ 29 Bowdoin data .................................................................................................................... 31 Toxic metals and chemicals .............................................................................................. 34 Mussel test results ...................................................................................................... 34 Lobster test results...................................................................................................... 35 Sediment test results................................................................................................... 35 Biological.......................................................................................................................... 36 Bacterial contamination and the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) ...... 36 Shellfish growing area classification.......................................................................... 37 Water sampling results ............................................................................................... 39 Remediation Efforts.................................................................................................................................... 41 NMRWP work ............................................................................................................................... 41 Upper New Meadows River watershed and shoreline survey .......................................... 41 Work with small communities .......................................................................................... 41 Dingley Island causeway replacement.............................................................................. 41 Pump-out facility ............................................................................................................. 42 Town efforts................................................................................................................................... 42 Casco Bay Estuary Project............................................................................................................. 42 Table of Contents (Continued) Marine uses ................................................................................................................................................. 43 Commercial Fishing....................................................................................................................... 43 Soft-shell clams................................................................................................................. 43 State-wide production comparison ................................................................................... 47 Aquaculture.................................................................................................................................... 48 Boating and recreational fishing .................................................................................................... 49 Conclusions and Recommendations ..........................................................................................................