Regional Topics
During conversations with municipal staff, three critical problems arose across multiple communities. These regional coastal priorities will require joint action to ensure a sustainable coast. For some, nature-based solutions could act as promising strategies to address these problems.
Septic Systems
Septic systems in Casco Bay play a vital role in managing wastewater for coastal communities and require proper management to protect water quality and marine habitats. However, the area faces challenges such as rising sea levels, increased flooding, and nutrient pollution, which can threaten the effectiveness of these systems and lead to contamination of nearby waters.Septic systems in Casco Bay play a vital role in managing wastewater for coastal communities and require proper management to protect water quality and marine habitats. However, the area faces challenges such as rising sea levels, increased flooding, and nutrient pollution, which can threaten the effectiveness of these systems and lead to contamination of nearby waters.
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Strategies: Incorporate climate projections when siting septic systems and ensure consistent maintenance and monitoring.
Climate Hazards: Sea level rise, warming temperatures, and heavy precipitation leads to these systems becoming less effective at cleaning wastewater and removing harmful bacteria.
Impacts: Decline in water quality impacts aquatic life and public health. When water quality standards are not met it requires shellfish areas to close which negatively impacts and local economy.
Working Waterfronts
The working waterfront represents a significant regional vulnerability for Maine's climate resilience because it serves as a vital economic and cultural backbone while being uniquely exposed to climate impacts. Maine's working waterfronts provide irreplaceable access points for multiple industries - from commercial fishing and aquaculture to marine transport and tourism - while also featuring concentrated infrastructure (wharves, processing facilities, fuel stations) in the exact coastal locations most susceptible to sea level rise, storms, and other climate threats.
Climate Hazards: Rising seas threaten to submerge piers; frequent and intense storms damage vessels, gear, and facilities; warming water temperatures disrupts marine ecosystems that create conditions for harmful algal blooms and invasive species.
Strategies: Communities can consider adapting infrastructure or developing nature-based solutions to mitigate impacts. Developing emergency preparedness plans or developing transition plans can ensure working waterfronts are resilient to climate change.
Impacts: Damaged critical facilities increase costs to Maine’s fishing communities. Disruption of operations to the working waterfront threatens jobs, incomes, and the economic stability of many communities.
Coastal bluffs in the region face accelerated erosion from wave action, storms, and rising sea levels, threatening critical infrastructure and property values along the shoreline. These erosion patterns disrupt natural sediment dynamics essential for maintaining beaches and marshes, potentially destabilizing the region's coastal ecosystems. The economic ramifications of bluff vulnerability extend beyond direct property damage, impacting tourism, recreation, and will require substantial investment in monitoring and stabilization measures to protect coastal communities.
Climate Hazards: Sea level rise and frequent, intense storms, accelerate erosion at the base of coastal bluffs. More frequent freeze-thaw cycles and increased rainfall can further destabilize bluffs and increase landslides.
Impacts: Coastal bluff erosion threatens homes, roads, bridges, utilities, and sewer systems, requiring costly repairs or relocations. Bluff erosion also destabilizes land around working waterfronts, disrupts navigation, and requires increases dredging needs which are costly and time-intensive.
Strategies: Monitoring vulnerable areas and implementing control measures can help manage these areas. Areas can consider using nature based solutions to protect bluff stability
GPCOG, Maine Geological Survey, and Cumberland Country Soil and Water Conservation District are currently undertaking a project to update coastal bluff data and develop model ordinance to manage and protect these vulnerable areas.
Coastal Bluff Erosion
Coastal bluffs in the region face accelerated erosion from wave action, storms, and rising sea levels, threatening critical infrastructure and property values along the shoreline. These erosion patterns disrupt natural sediment dynamics essential for maintaining beaches and marshes, potentially destabilizing the region's coastal ecosystems. The economic ramifications of bluff vulnerability extend beyond direct property damage, impacting tourism, recreation, and will require substantial investment in monitoring and stabilization measures to protect coastal communities.
Climate Hazards: Sea level rise and frequent, intense storms, accelerate erosion at the base of coastal bluffs. More frequent freeze-thaw cycles and increased rainfall can further destabilize bluffs and increase landslides.
Strategies: Monitoring vulnerable areas and implementing control measures can help manage these areas. Areas can consider using nature based solutions to protect bluff stability
Impacts: Coastal bluff erosion threatens homes, roads, bridges, utilities, and sewer systems, requiring costly repairs or relocations. Bluff erosion also destabilizes land around working waterfronts, disrupts navigation, and requires increases dredging needs which are costly and time-intensive.