Water Resources Planning Committee
March 26, 2008
9:00 - 11:30 AM

Maine Geological Survey
Augusta, Maine

Meeting Notes

1. Marvinney gave an overview of budgetary issues affecting the work of this committee:
   1. When the original legislation for this committee was discussed before and approved by the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources in May 2007, Marvinney indicated to the Committee that the Maine Geological Survey (MGS) would need $100,000 in additional resources to conduct the work required of the committee. Marvinney would also commit existing resources at the MGS (1.5 FTE hydrogeologists) to this effort. Several participants in the process committed to funding this effort including the Maine Drinking Water Program, Poland Spring, and the Maine DEP. The Legislature provided no additional resources.
   2. Dire economic forecasts for 2008 have led to budget cuts in every agency. As part of budget cuts at the MGS, Marvinney moved ½ Hydrogeologist position from the General Fund to the MGS dedicated account, to be funded through contributions to this committee's work.
   3. Andy Fisk restated the commitment of the DEP to also contribute funding to this effort, at an as-yet unspecified level.
2. Watersheds-at-risk analysis. Marvinney presented a very brief overview of our watersheds-at-risk analysis, followed by a review of criteria for selecting potential basins for further study. (See full analysis at: http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/water/regs/final.htm). These criteria included selecting watersheds from those identified in our earlier analysis with multiple users, with a variety of user types, and those with opportunities to improve the groundwater science. Headwater basins that do not require factoring in flow through from upper watersheds would greatly simplify our efforts. While developing procedures in the first year of this effort, we wish to avoid complicated watersheds.
3. Marc Loiselle presented a series of detailed maps of several of the watersheds identified in the analysis he conducted in 2006. These were basins in the Greater Portland area, Lake Auburn, Freeport, Friendship, Floods Pond, and Prestile Stream. The group discussed the merits of each of these watersheds, and support centered on Freeport as one candidate. The group felt that Lake Auburn had been studied recently by USGS, so additional analysis there was not warranted. We discussed the merits of work in Prestile Stream, which was not one of the basins identified in the preliminary basins-at-risk analysis (watershed size and generalization of agricultural usage may have contributed to this), but in which we know there are issues of agricultural and public water system use. We discussed preliminary work that might be done there in a future year.
4. Investigations:
   1. Student interns - two interns hired with funding for this project will review all available files for additional groundwater information, water use information, etc.
   2. Discharge measurements - the mean annual flow and monthly median equations used in the MGS watershed analysis come with large uncertainties. The only approach to reasonably reduce those uncertainties is to directly measure stream discharge in the project areas, thereby providing much better information on water supply and in-stream flow requirements.
   3. MGS will discuss with USGS assistance with discharge measurements in select watersheds.
5. Collaborations: As we begin work in watersheds, potential groups we will reach out to are:
   1. Public water systems
   2. Other users
   3. Town government
   4. Possibly with schools and "stream teams" if we can find appropriate roles.
   5. Alex Wong offered some assistance in data collection from his agency.
6. Next meeting date to be determined.

Meeting attendees:

• D. Bell, Wild Blueberry Commission
• T. Brennan, Poland Spring
• A. Fisk, Maine Dept. Environmental Protection
• J. Harker, Maine Dept. Agriculture
• T. Hobbs, Maine Potato Board
• J. Hopeck, Maine Dept. Environmental Protection
• D. Locke, Maine Geological Survey
• M. Loiselle, Maine Geological Survey
• R. Marvinney, Maine Geological Survey
• B. Sanford, Maine Groundwater Association
• M. Spencer-Famous, Maine Land Use Regulation Commission
• G. Sweetser, Ski Maine Association
• S. Timpano, Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
• A. Tolman, Maine Drinking Water Program
• T. Weddle, Maine Geological Survey
• A. Wong, Maine Rural Water Association

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Last updated on October 9, 2008

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