The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and the Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition’s efforts to improve the Presumpscot River got a huge boost last week thanks to a $740,000 federal grant.
Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office, announced the grant at a ceremony at the University of Southern Maine in Portland on Thursday. The Presumpscot improvement project is one of 12 projects nationwide sharing in $9 million in grant money.
“This is a great day for the Presumpscot River. This grant will significantly bolster the watershed protection and fisheries restoration efforts already underway,” said Casco Bay Estuary Partnership Director Karen Young. “It makes a very important statement about the value of this incredible resource and the many organizations who are working together to bring it back.”
The money from the federal grant will be used to help stabilize banks along the river, plant trees along the banks to establish a buffer, develop a program to help encourage homeowners to reduce the amount of pesticides and fertilizer they use and monitor water quality.
“The EPA is pleased to further support improvements for the health and vitality of the Presumpscot River, the largest freshwater source to Casco Bay and a critical resource to Maine’s fisheries and recreation,” said Varney.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
