Water Quality in the Damariscotta River Estuary

What do we know about the state of the estuary?

The Damariscotta River estuary is the backbone of our local economy. It offers incredible recreational opportunities and supports diverse and abundant wildlife. This invaluable resource is monitored on a regular, on-going basis by Coastal Rivers through a citizen-science water monitoring project.

In this recorded workshop you’ll hear from Sarah Gladu of Coastal Rivers and Kathleen Thornton from the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center. They discuss estuarine conditions and share observations made from their analysis of Coastal River’s water quality data. Integrating data from the Maine Coastal Observing Alliance, a regional water quality monitoring group, they take a look at our estuary in a broader regional perspective.

Topics covered include coastal acidification and the impact of nutrients such as nitrogen, which can drive changes in pH. Coastal acidification occurs when pH declines, and this can have a negative impact on oysters, lobsters and many other creatures that live in the estuary. Sarah and Kathleen also discuss meaningful things property owners and municipalities can do to protect local water quality.

Maine Coastal Observing Alliance is a coalition of non-profits focusing on gathering water quality data along the coast from Harraseeket to Rockport Harbor. Kathleen Thornton is a Research Specialist at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center. Sarah Gladu is Coastal Rivers’ Director of Education and Citizen Science as well as chair of MCOA.

Recorded on December 10, 2020 in Damariscotta, Maine.

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