Androscoggin River

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which sets water quality standards and requires permits for discharges, was championed by Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie.

Currently, the entire river is designated as a Class C, the state's lowest water quality rating. But, the bill would elevate the lowest section of the river to a Class B, which Ed Friedman and the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay have been advocating for nearly 20 years.

The Maine Board of Environmental Protection is recommending that a portion of the Androscoggin River, from Lisbon Falls to Merrymeeting Bay, be upgraded to Class B status.

Brunswick town officials are closing in on purchasing a 42.5-acre parcel of land that it has sought for years on the Androscoggin River in Maine.

Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie championed its passage in 1972, motivated in part by the degraded condition of the Androscoggin River. The river's health has improved since then, but not without repeated legal battles. And a new effort to reclassify its southernmost section is also meeting strong resistance.