With rivers and ponds overflowing, the amount of freshwater input we have received over the last week is glaringly obvious in the shiny surface of water that seems to be everywhere. And while the rain made the weather feel pretty dreary, all that fresh water is a welcome gift to those along the coast with wells who depend on that water through an often drier summer.
The recent infusion of rain is a good reminder of two things: both how dependent we are on a supply of fresh water and also how that water takes much of what we do on land and washes it right into the ocean where it directly impacts water quality, marine life and the people who harvest it. For local shellfish harvesters, for example, rain means closures of harvesting areas due to the pollutants that the rain washes off the land. As filter feeders, shellfish take in and concentrate whatever nutrients, good or bad, are in the water column. Whether or not you live close to the water, what you do on land has an impact on these resources and the people who harvest them.
As we head into the warmer months when water consumption is likely to go up for everyone wanting to green their lawns and start their gardens, it is a good time to consider the way that we utilize water and some simple things everyone can do to minimize these impacts.
While it may seem like we have abundant water since we are surrounded by so much of it, there are many places along the coast that struggle to keep wells full. This is increasingly the case as more areas are developed and more wells are put in. Conserving water through doing simple things like watering in the cooler evening hours of the day or filling up a sink to do dishes all at once rather than keeping the tap running can make a difference. These are good practices whether you own a well or not.
If you do have a well, however, now is a good time of year to have it checked to make sure that it is properly functioning. More importantly, if you have a well, it’s likely that you also have a septic system. A good, well-maintained septic system does a pretty incredible job of filtering, processing and storing waste. But a bad one allows untreated water out, adding unhealthy nutrients to the water column and eventually to surrounding waters. It’s a pretty simple thing to have a well and septic system regularly inspected. If you’re not sure how to approach this, a call to your town office can help to direct you to the appropriate resources.
Aside from how much water you use, how you treat your landscape is also critical to the health of the coastal waters. Using pesticides, for example, treats ocean “bugs” just as harshly as it does the ones they are intended for on land. That includes Maine’s most famous ocean bug: the lobster. Herbicides similarly impact not just the weeds that pop up among grass but also ocean “weeds” that are critical producers of oxygen in the ocean. Fertilizers are problematic as well. The extra nutrients intended to grow a green lawn can end up “growing” a lawn-like algal bloom in the ocean. In addition to minimizing the use of all of these chemicals, coastal homeowners can help to reduce runoff into the water by planting buffer plants at the edges of lawns or gardens that can help soak up extra water when it rains and put it back into the ground rather than letting it run into the water. Using drainage-friendly materials like crushed rock rather than hard stone in landscaping also helps to reduce runoff.
There are myriad resources on how to garden and landscape appropriately to reduce the impact that we have on coastal waters. Friends of Casco Bay’s BayScaping program (cascobay.org/our-work/community-engagement/bayscaping/) offers very practical suggestions. In addition, Brunswick’s Guide to Rivers and Coastal Waters includes tips and information for residents on water and septic systems as well as lawn care (brunswickme.org/380/Rivers-Coastal-Waters-Commission), and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association’s “Scuttlebutt: A Guide to Living in a Working Waterfront Community” (mainecoastfishermen.org/post/scuttlebutt-a-guide-to-living-working-in-a-waterfront-community) also provides tips for property owners along the coast.
So, enjoy the benefits of all this fresh water, but use it as a reminder to check in on how you use it and to consider ways to make the most of it while adding the least of what you do back into the ocean.
Susan Olcott is the director of operations at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
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