The Wrack: stormwater

On October 5th the Coastal Training Program partnered with Protect Kittery Waters, Spruce Creek Association, FB Environmental, Robert's Maine Grill, and the Great Works Regional Land Trust to host a day-long field trip showcasing watershed restoration efforts on Spruce Creek and Shorey's Brook. The day began at Kittery Town Hall where Mary Ann Conroy (Public Works, Kittery) and William Straub (CMA Engineers) spoke about the tree box filter and raingarden they installed with Maine DEP 319 funding.

I had the chance to go to the annual Low Impact Development Field Trip this past Tuesday to do some research on how to make a difference in my neighborhood. The purpose of the trip was to showcase best management practices around the Acton Wakefield Watershed and Portsmouth, NH.

Stormwater runoff can be a major source of pollution into our waterways. Stormwater is groundwater from melting snow or rain that is not absorbed by the ground because of impervious surfaces such as driveways, parking lots, roofs, patios, and even lawns. Any pollutant on those surfaces could then be carried directly to our streams. However, if you have a waterfront property at the top of a hill with a well groomed lawn and patio, don't panic! There are now easy do-it-yourself solutions for your home to reduce your stormwater runoff.

Rainwater harvesting can reduce flooding and erosion issues, as well as surface-water contamination, by slowing down and decreasing the volume of stormwater runoff. One way to harvest rainwater is by using a catchment technique such as rain barrels.

Flooding in York County — is it becoming more common? Roads impassable, bridges washed out, basements full... the stories have become all too familiar in recent years.

The Mother's Day storm in May 2006 seemed an anomaly till the Patriots' Day storm hit in 2007. This March, the Wells Reserve measured 16 inches of rainfall, 5 inches more than Portland's record-setting 11. The roads closed and the sump pumps hummed again.

This morning, the Coastal Training Program advisory committee met at Wells Reserve to share news, resources, ideas, and collaborative opportunities. Among the attendees was LaMarr Clannon of Maine NEMO, who highly recommended a visit to One Drop at a Time: A Sustainable Pilot Project with Green Stormwater Management Technology. I decided to check it out, and enthusiastically endorse LaMarr's recommendation.

Do you use green stormwater management on your property? Why, or why not? Does that website give you some new ideas to try?

Danger seeps from your garden.

Fertilizer causes tomatoes to ripen larger and plants to grow taller. But applying more than your plants need can have a devastating effect.

The rain washes your excess fertilizer, either manure or chemical, down the road and into the nearest water source. There, it mixes with water traveling from other gardens, farms, and power plants to create a stream of nitrogen and phosphorus. The stream pours directly into the marsh.

A report evaluating the effectiveness of 12 stormwater treatments in protecting water quality and reducing runoff has just been released by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology. The report is online here.