Long Creek, a meandering stream that flows from its headwaters in Westbrook, through the Maine Mall area of South Portland, into Clark’s Pond, the Fore River, and ultimately into Casco Bay, was once a popular place to hike, swim, and fish.  Years of surrounding urbanization, however, have significantly impaired the stream’s health, as well as its ability to support recreation or wildlife, such as brook trout.  Unlike healthier neighboring streams, Long Creek no longer complies with state and federal water quality standards and is classified as one of 32 “urban impaired” streams in Maine.  This reality has prompted a region-wide group of state and local officials, large and small businesses, residents, and non-profit organizations – working together under the banner of Long Creek Planning Project – to take action to restore the stream and its watershed.   

Over the past year, this collaborative, community-based project has been working to develop a locally-supported stormwater management plan to bring the stream back into compliance with state and federal standards, and to open up new recreation opportunities for local residents and visitors.  Studies conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection from 1998 to 2004 show that portions of the stream no longer meet these standards due to the lack of native brook trout, disruption of the aquatic insect community that provide food for them, damaged fish and wildlife habitats within the stream and in its vicinity, and water quality issues.  Much of the damage can be attributed to the removal of the original forest as development proceeded.  A US EPA grant received by the City of South Portland to partner with the other watershed municipalities and individual stakeholders has helped to get the process moving forward.   

In addition to state and local officials, a number of major commercial stakeholders are actively involved in the process, including the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Fairchild Semiconductor, National Semiconductor, Marriott Sable Oaks, Dead River Co., Wright Express, Ecomaine, Portland International Jetport, and the Maine Mall, among others.  Participating organizations include South Portland Land Trust, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District and Conservation Law Foundation.  All watershed landowners are encouraged to get involved to ensure that their interests are considered, and their skills and experience contribute to the process.  

Like many urbanized watersheds in the US, Long Creek is home to a variety of land-uses, including large- and small-scale retail and other commercial development, industrial facilities, business parks, hotels, an 18-hole golf course, a portion of a landfill, and some residential areas.  While most of the Long Creek watershed is in South Portland, the City of Portland owns and operates the International Jetport and the city’s snow dump area within its boundaries.  And, Westbrook and Scarborough have designated growth zones in or adjacent to the watershed and want to coordinate them with the overall management plan.  

The cause of the stream’s steady degradation is thought to be increasing volumes of stormwater runoff – polluted with oil, grease, metals, and nutrients – flowing into its waters from the growing number of surrounding impervious areas such as parking lots, roadways, and rooftops.  Some portions of the watershed are more than 50 percent impervious (10 percent is the threshold at which a healthy ecosystem begins to show signs of stress).  Also contributing to the problem is the fact that many of the existing stormwater treatment systems are outdated, malfunctioning, or are not being maintained by property owners.   

While solutions to these challenges have yet to readily present themselves, one certainty has, which is that upfront remediation and ongoing management efforts will require a great deal of money – most likely in the order of millions of dollars.  Those participating in the Long Creek Planning Project now face the daunting task of coming up with a fair and equitable approach to fund the stream’s restoration and management.  Options for consideration include upfront stormwater management system upgrades, user fees, taxes, incentives, or some combination of them all.   

Participants in the Long Creek Planning Project want to make it clear to watershed property owners that at some point they will be asked – and ultimately required by the State of Maine – to contribute to the overall restoration effort.  The Project believes that a collaborative, community-based effort will best serve all stakeholder interests, and ultimately lead to the most creative, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible plan for restoring and managing the watershed.  Whichever solutions are chosen, new development will have to meet urban impaired stream standards in the state’s Storm Water Management Law.   

To date, the Project has met with much success and optimism within the four watershed communities, where landowner and municipal participation has been high.  Its achievements over the past year include bringing together the major stakeholders within the watershed, establishing a process to address their needs in the management plan, gathering of data and other technical information, and the development of restoration strategies. The process of developing a stormwater management plan is expected to continue through the rest of this year, with the expectation that implementation of parts of the developing plan may begin as early as this coming summer.