The Effects of the 2001-2002 Drought on Maine Surface Water Supplies

Maine lakes and streams serve as significant sources of public water supply, serving 40% of the population. Drought affects surface water resources by reducing water quantity and altering water quality, for example by reducing inputs of materials from the watershed and increasing water residence times. The 2001-2002 drought was the worst in Maine in over thirty years, and it exposed deficiencies in current water resources planning and management. In this study, I evaluated the effects of the 2001-2002 drought on Maine public water systems in order to identify characteristics of systems vulnerable to drought and determine appropriate indicators of drought sensitivity. I also evaluated the future of Maine\u27s water supply industry in a potentially changing climate. In addition to reviewing drought problems reported to the Drinking Water Program and Public Utilities Commission, I surveyed all public surface water systems to identify systems affected by the drought. Historical hydrological and chemical data from a subset of seven public water supply lakes provided a more intensive analysis of the effects of drought on water quantity and quality. Monthly hydrologic conditions antecedent to the drought were assessed to determine the most robust triggers for future use in public water system drought planning and management. Data on lake morphometry, geology, landscape position, land use, and demographics from a second subset of 28 public water supply lakes were assessed to identify the best indicators of drought sensitivity. Manager responses to the drought were documented to establish a record of institutional knowledge for dealing with drought. Forty-five of approximately 400 community groundwater systems and eight of 68 surface water systems were affected by the drought, although most systems experienced below-average water levels. No consistent changes in water quality variables related to water clarity were noted, although comparisons were limited by a lack of consistent source water monitoring data. Environmental factors such as morphometry or geology were not useful predictors of the sensitivity of a particular system to drought. A key finding was that affected systems were withdrawing volumes of water in excess of their safe yield. These stressed systems are located in the populated coastal region and in areas where an increase in water demand is caused by seasonal tourism and development. An essential management conclusion was that drought conditions or low lake levels alone were not enough to drive a system to implement water conservation; increased demand had to occur simultaneously. The best management tool is monthly monitoring of water withdrawals and demand in addition to local climatic parameters. While the scope and direction of future climate change is uncertain, the effects of the 2001-2002 drought indicate that public surface water systems that already operate close to capacity and that experience seasonal increases in demand are most likely to encounter difficulties in a variable and uncertain climate

Bagaduce Watershed Interpretive Panels

In June 2018, the Town of Penobscot installed five new interpretive panels at Pierce\u27s Pond. A new nature-like fishway provides passage for alewives and other sea-run fish, along with viewing platforms and a picnic area at the public boat launch. The Town and alewife steward Bailey Bowden, along with local partners at Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, and Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, are leading the effort to restore migratory fish to the entire Bagaduce watershed

Connecting rivers for healthy ocean fisheries

Across Maine, communities and land owners are reconnecting rivers and streams by improving road crossings, fixing broken culverts, and removing dams and other barriers. There are many reasons for doing this work, including preventing costly repairs associated with flooding and washouts, enhancing water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and restoring fish populations. Connecting Rivers explores some of the ways that streams connect inland lakes and forests and the sea. This first fact sheet in the series focuses on connections between populations of migratory river fish (alewives and blueback herring) and groundfish (e.g., cod)

Maine Sea Grant and the Humanities: Marine Science (and History and Art) for Maine People

Sea Grant works at the boundary of science and society, with a research portfolio dedicated to applied science. Catherine Schmitt discusses how Maine Sea Grant addresses questions that are relevant to Maine communities and communicates this relevance by incorporating the humanities into its work with Maine’s coastal communities

The secret life of eels

An overview of the natural history, biology, and population status of the American eel in Maine, research on eels in the Penobscot River, and description of the fishery

How Changing Climate Created Mount Desert Island

Acadia is a national park, the first place in eastern U.S. to receive such designation, because of its scenery. Diverse and exposed geology forms the foundation for Acadia’s beauty, but the landscape of today is the result of climate changes over millennia. Climate influences include a land surface worked by glaciers, and diverse flora and fauna as a result of the island’s position on the coast, within a transition zone between temperate ecosystems to the south and the boreal north

Connecting rivers in the Penobscot Watershed

Across Maine, communities and land owners are reconnecting rivers and streams by improving road crossings, fixing broken culverts, and removing dams and other barriers. There are many reasons for doing this work, including preventing costly repairs associated with flooding and washouts, enhancing water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and restoring fish populations. Connecting Rivers explores some of the ways that streams connect inland lakes and forests and the sea. This second fact sheet in the series provides an overview of the motivations for and benefits of restoring fish passage, and includes a map of dam removals and other restoration actions in the Penobscot watershed since 1990