DEP Marine Waters Monitoring Efforts

1. DEP Marine Waters Monitoring Efforts Angela Brewer Division of Environmental Assessment Bureau of Water Quality MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Protecting Maine’s Air, Land and Water

2. Physical, chemical: warming water  less dissolved oxygen, wetter springs  lower pH Maine’s marine landscape is changing… MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

3. Biological: species shifts!!! Floating blue barnacle (Lepas fascicularis) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

4. Marine Environmental Monitoring Program (38 M.R.S. § 410-F): monitor ”extent and effect of industrial contaminants and pollutants on marine and estuarine ecosystems and to determine compliance with and attainment of water quality standards”. DEP marine monitoring(maine.gov/dep/water/monitoring/coastal/index.html) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

5. Reasonable Potential analyses (2015- ) • MEPDES permits include RP analyses: 1) effluent TN loading, 2) far field dilution calculations, 3) ambient TN concentrations, 4) chemical and/or biological indicator data • Effluent nitrogen monitoring conducted voluntarily by ≤30 major dischargers during summer 2008, 2015, 2016 • Since 2015, 14 major marine dischargers and 4 seafood processors or grow out facilities have permit requirements to monitor for effluent nitrogen • Analyses use eelgrass as aquatic life indicator and ambient total nitrogen (TN) threshold of 0.32 mg/L or DO as chemical indicator and TN threshold of 0.45 mg/L MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

6. Average [TN] ≈ 19 mg/L for facilities not designed to denitrify 2° treated municipal wastewater discharged directly to Maine marine waters (using 5-year average flows) Portland Water District’s East End facility load from 2012-2016 and 2018 MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

7. Ambient monitoring occurs to determine if aquatic life are impaired due to nutrients • Parameters measured/considered/mapped • Water column: discrete temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll, turbidity, transparency, light attenuation, total suspended solids—in 2020, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter • Selected locations also assessed continuously • Benthic: opportunistic macroalgae, eelgrass MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

8. Since 2015, ambient monitoring for RP analyses have spread efforts across the coast with Portland area focus * Red symbols represent number of nitrogen grab samples collected MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

9. Biological indicators of excess nutrients: phytoplankton, macroalgae, eelgrass • Phytoplankton impacts on water quality & aquatic life interpreted in tandem with DO, pH • Persistent presence of opportunistic macroalgae (often Ulva) may be sign of reliable nitrogen source • Absence of macroalgal blooms may not mean absence of nitrogen problem • Eelgrass is an excellent indicator of ambient nitrogen conditions, while still influenced by other stressors MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

10. 2013 vs. 2001/02 coverage *56% reduction in area from 2001/02 (8,789 acres) to 2013 (3,651 acres) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

11. 2018 vs. 2013 coverage 3 4 2 1 MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

12. 2019 – • LD 559: An Act to Restore Regular Mapping of Eelgrass Beds in the State • Regular mapping program will inform: restoration and mitigation actions, $$$ value of “blue carbon”, locations appropriate for focused monitoring efforts MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

13. 2017: Portland Water District’s (PWD) East End permit renewed • Acknowledged paucity of ambient data able to detect influence (or not) of wastewater  DEP/FOCB monitoring • Coincident with PWD plan to monitor effluent [nitrogen], reduce TN load by 20-40% • Ambient monitoring enhanced by: • eelgrass mapping (DEP + $$$ partners), monitoring of three beds with distance from East End discharge (DEP) • continuous nutrient monitoring (CBEP, UMaine) Focus Area: Portland Harbor vicinity (2017-2020) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

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15. Total Nitrogen values (2007-2018) more reflective of estuarine gradient with rainfall effects than of wastewater influence • PWD East End TN load reduction measurable in the immediate vicinity? • East End vicinity [TN] under RP threshold in 2017, 2018 Distance from East End outfall MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

16. Three, 50 m-long, permanent transects / site, with 12, 0.25 m-2 quadrats / transect • June and Sept. monitoring (shoot density, % cover, canopy height, light attenuation and intensity, temp., depth at deep edge, video transect) Distance from outfall, river mouth Distance from outfall, river mouth MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

17. Focus Area: Belfast vicinity (2019-?) • Nordic Aquafarms proposed land-based salmon farm in Belfast brought attention to the paucity of “baseline” ambient data • Public interest in understanding cumulative impact of proposed wastewater discharges in region • Eelgrass had not been mapped (Maine DMR) since 2003 • Ambient monitoring enhanced by: • eelgrass mapping using “new” methodology • characterization of upstream conditions (DEP (2011, 2012, 2018), Whole Oceans contractor (2019-?)) • collaborative efforts with Maine Coastal Observing Alliance, Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

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19. Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) imagery by Stefan Claesson, Nearview, Inc. • RGB images at vertical angle, acquired during early morning negative tides • Many individual tiles mosaicked into single image • Pixel resolution of orthomosaic is ~3 inches • Summary: better aerial technique for small survey areas when compared to plane-based imagery? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

20. Enhanced diagnostic tools to inform groundtruthing, interactive displays for communication purposes MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

21. Conclusions • On-going need to assess role of nutrients in Maine’s marine environment will be informed by Portland Harbor area work and continued eelgrass monitoring enhancements • “New” survey technologies will assist multiple users with shoreline characterizations and evaluation of resources • Changing ambient conditions require adaptive and comprehensive monitoring • Comprehensive monitoring can only occur with strategic partnerships, support in the legislature, and excellent grant application writers • Protection of our marine environment can be facilitated with open lines of communication and lots of good faith efforts MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

22. Contact:Angela Brewerangela.d.brewer@maine.gov207-592-2352www.maine.gov/dep