Presumpscot River Stakeholders Plan:

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Presumpscot River Stakeholders Plan The Future
of a Changing River Prepared by The Presumpscot
River Plan Steering Committee With Funding and
Assistance from Casco Bay Estuary Project and
EPA Region 1
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Intro Background

• Casco Bay Estuary Project for Presumpscott River
  initiated in the Spring of 2000
• Largest freshwater resource to Casco Bay
• Presumpscot was the site of Maines first pulp
  mill, first hydroelectric project, only
  significant canal and largest gunpowder mill, no
  other river in Maine has had virtually all its
  hydraulic head captured behind dams
• Impact from dams on fisheries has been a concern
  since the 1700s, by 1950s the condition of the
  river reached its all time low, treatment plants
  reduced pollutant discharges following Clean
  Water Act but non-point sources of pollution
  increased
• Interest started in 1992 when Maine Department of
  Inland Fisheries successfully reestablished a
  trout and salmon fishery just below Sebago Lake
  and after plans for the removal of Smelt Hill Dam
  and improvements in water quality from cessation
  of SAPPI Fine Papers pulp mill. Development
  pressure increased after removal of the pulp mill
  since the stench and unattractiveness of living
  near a pulp mill was also removed.
• Originates at Sebago Lake Maines second largest
  lake, supplies greater Portland area with water,
  originally the river was a rushing river with
  many falls and rapids, abundant fish life, now it
  is slow moving and does not support as much
  wildlife
• Focus on Presumpscot River and adjacent river
  corridor lands and some tributaries, does not
  address Sebago Lake levels

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Sebago Lake
27 miles long
Casco Bay
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Deepest lake in New England, one of the cleanest
in the state
Removed in 2002
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Problems

• Clearing of land and draining or filling wetlands
  for agriculture 16 of the land is farmland
• Timber harvesting for fuel wood, lumber,
  shipbuilding, pulp and paper
• Extraction of sand and gravel
• Development of settlements
• Construction of roads, canals, railroads
• Industrial development, dams for power
• Use by industries and municipitalities for waste
  disposal

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Impacts to Water Resources

• 8 dams fragmented habitat, fast flowing water
  converted to impoundments, anadromous fish
  blocked
• 5 waste water discharges reduce water quality
• 31 of lower watershed is now developed
• 16 of lower watershed is agricultural
• Flow regimes altered

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Changes in Water Quality

• Basin was originally forested, original water
  quality was very similar to Sebago Lake, its
  source
• In 2001, Portland Water Districts draft of the
  Lake report noted that Lake Sebago has
  outstanding water quality
• Impacts of waste discharges, watershed
  development, and damming include
• Increased TSS, increased dissolved solids,
  lowered DO, increased bacteria levels, shift to
  pollution-tolerant organisms, elevated
  temperature
• Below Westbrook, 60 chance of meeting Class B
  for WQS for aquatic life

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Changes in Aquatic Habitat

• Increased temperature from development and
  slowing of water, switch from native cold water
  species (trout) to warm non-native species (bass)
• Sedimentation aquatic community shifts to
  organisms more tolerant of turbid water, overall
  abundance of organisms decreases

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Put and take salmon and trout fishery
The rest is only suitable for bass and panfish
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Also impacts on wetlands, terrestrial resources,
endangered species and estuarine habitat

• Reduction in diversity and productivity or
  floodplain from less frequent flooding
• Loss of wetlands from draining
• Fragmentation of wildlife travel corridors,
  reduction of wildlife populations
• Loss of habitat for endangered species

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The Steering Committee

• Presumpscot River Management Plan Steering
  Committee composed of federal, state, and local
  government agencies, businesses, conservation
  organizations and other interested groups
• Goal to work cooperatively to develop a plan
  for the future of the river, and to develop
  recommendations that work for all interests
• Purposes
• 1. to develop a comprehensive and unified plan
  with management objectives to guide future
  actions and decision that impact the river
• 2. to identify opportunities for supporting
  continued improvements to the health of the river
  and its tributaries, and for capitalizing in the
  potential of a healthy river ecosystem for
  providing a diversity if public benefits,
  including recreational, educational and economic
  benefits in balance with the benefits of
  renewable hydropower energy

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Focus Areas

• Cumulative Impacts to the River
• Fisheries Conditions and Opportunities
• Open Space Conditions and Opportunities
• Steering Committee worked for 2 years to develop
  information and proposed objectives for these
  focus areas

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Cumulative Impacts to Environmental Conditions on
the Presumpscot River and its Shorelands Options
for addressing Cumulative Impacts
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Options for addressing cumulative impacts
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Protecting and Enhancing Open Space Along the
Presumpscot River

• Open space is what Maine has going for it!
  Important to the Maine way of life.
• Presumpscot is in a part of Maine that is losing
  open space at a rapid rate
• Protecting open space is critical for
• Fish and aquatic life. Riparian open space
  filter runoff from the land, protects waters from
  sedimentation, maintains cool water temperatures,
  and contributes organic matter to the aquatic
  food base
• Wildlife Riparian open space provides habitat
  used by 80 of Maines terrestrial vertebrate
  species at some time during their lifestyle

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Wildlife and Fish Habitat Values

• Well vegetated open space corridors along river
  or stream have special value as wildlife habitat
• A unique edge habitat
• Importance to aquatic habitats
• Importance to birds
• Dear yards
• 80 if Maines terrestrial vertebrate wildlife
  species use riparian areas to meet their habitat
  needs at some point in their life
• Coalition of planning and conservation
  organizations Maine Audobon Society, Maine
  Department of Conservation, Maine Department of
  Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine State
  Planning Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
  Wells National Estuarine Research Office, Maine
  Coastal Program, USGS, Southern Maine Regional
  Planning Commission, and The Nature Conservancy

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Maine already has a lot of open space a rare
opportunity for preservation
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Open Space for Recreation

• Boating, canoeing, kayaking
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Hunting
• Wildlife observation and bird watching
• Walking
• Bicycling
• Skiing and snowshoeing
• Historical study
• Educational activities
• Snowmobiling
• Enjoying the peace and quiet!
• Communing with nature
• Spiritual renewal!!

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Methods to Preserve Open Space
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Methods to preserve open space
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Methods to preserve open space
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Recommendations and Strategies identified by
steering committee
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Visions for the Future

• As far at Cumberland Mills Dam could supports
  runs of 13,000 shad, 78,000 blueback herring, 20
  to 100 Atlantic Salmon and up to 20,000 alewives
• Most of the area remains undeveloped, extensive
  opportunities to preserve open space, time is
  limited as development pressure is increasing