USING WATERSHED-BASED MANAGEMENT PLANNING TO RESTORE THE WATER QUALITY OF DUDLEY BROOK IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, MAINE

Results of macroinvertebrate sampling in Dudley Brook, a Class A stream in Aroostook County, Maine, show that the stream is impaired due to nonpoint source (NPS) pollution stemming from a history of agricultural land uses in the watershed. Following the development of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), FB Environmental Associates, in cooperation with Maine DEP, began working on the development of a Watershed-Based Management Plan (WBMP). The WBMP process is designed to help communities and regional planners better understand the effects of land use at the watershed scale, and to take ownership of the problems by creating a long-term, locally driven, watershed management strategy.

The success of the participation by watershed stakeholders is largely attributed to the small size of the watershed and the extent of outreach, including direct mail, press releases, public notices, personal communication by phone, and follow-up phone calls as the meeting date approached. As a result, local landowners, conservation groups, town managers, town planners, and government agencies came together for the first time to discuss Dudley Brook.

Estimates of the extent of NPS loading and the required reductions needed to restore water quality (specifically N, P and sediment) were developed through the use of an integrated GIS-based watershed modeling tool called AVGWLF (ArcView Generalized Watershed Loading Function) which works hand in hand with a BMP cost estimating model called PRedICT (Pollutant Reduction Impact Comparison Tool). Target NPS reductions estimated by the model, as well as the types and costs of BMPs needed to reach these targets became informative tools used by local stakeholders to help set realistic goals for making improvements in the Dudley Brook watershed. Success of this initial WBMP meeting for Dudley Brook suggests that water quality improvements are well within reach. A second meeting has already been scheduled for 2009.