The largest river that flows into Casco Bay is now protected from new sources of pollution. A new state law puts a four-year moratorium on new industrial or wastewater discharges into the Lower Presumpscot River.
Historically, that section of the river from Saccarappa Falls in Westbrook to the tidewaters in Falmouth was heavily polluted by untreated industrial waste.
Now, it is a thriving waterway due to years of restoration under the Clean Water Act that include the removal of two dams and installation fish passage for species to return to spawn.
Michael Shaughnessy of Friends of the Prescumpscot River, said the 4-year moratorium is a win for the river and the communities that sit on its banks.
"This is a real milestone for the lower river because the river is remarkably clean but underappreciated and hence vulnerable. And so doing this brings attention to it and puts some protections on it," Shaughnessy said.
But the ultimate goal is to reclassify the lower section of the river from Class C to Class B. The Friends of Presumpscot River petitioned the Department of Environmental Protection for the change in 2020, but the state ultimately denied the reclassification, citing inconsistent data that proves the river meets Class B standards.
Co-Founder of the Friends of Presumpscot River Will Plumley said the four-year moratorium will give them time to make their case again to the state so that improvements in the river's water quality are sustained.
"I think we need to get the DEP on board for either a Class B designation or another plan for protection because right now the dissolved oxygen in the river is so much higher than the Class C minimum requirement," Plumley said.
A similar moratorium once protected the Upper Presumpscot River and lead to water quality ratings of Class A to Class B.
