PORTLAND, Maine — Whether it’s wastewater, climate change or shoreline development, human impact poses the greatest threat to the future of Maine’s beaches, according to experts who spoke during this year’s Maine Beaches Conference.
The Maine Beaches Conference was first held in 2000 and has since expanded in ways that bring together stakeholders to share information about what’s happening on Maine’s beaches. From property owners, town managers, nonprofit organizations and community members who want to know more about beach pollution, this conference gave individuals from different backgrounds a chance to sit together and discuss the future of Maine’s beaches.
Maine has 46 public beaches and recreational areas on its coast, of which 37 are participating in the Maine Healthy Coastal Beaches Program. The Maine Healthy Coastal Beaches Program provides a system to monitor public beaches and issue warnings when there is a potentially hazardous condition, such as when routine water monitoring shows that a disease-causing microorganism is present and may pose a health risk.
Speakers such as Kristen Grant, an extension associate at Marine Sea Grant, explained the role water monitoring plays in gauging the impact humans have on the condition of Maine’s beaches and waters.
“With pollution comes rising sea levels, species endangerment and unsafe swimming conditions,” Grant said. “Monitoring the water quality started about 10 years ago and has been going on ever since. It’s a problem we’re constantly trying to address to the public.”
Keri Kaczor, coordinator of the Healthy Beaches Program with the University of Maine, spends her work days searching for bacteria in Maine’s oceans to make sure it’s safe for swimmers. Any unclean water sample requires the beach to be put on an advisory, so people can know which beaches may be unsafe to swimmers. She explained in the sessions she spoke at that the majority of pollution problems are concentrated at spots where rivers and streams deliver storm and wastewater runoff to the sea.
“The No. 1 reason for water quality impairment is storm water and bacteria,” she said. “That’s how pet wastes, deer bacteria, broken sewer lines all come together to cause a greater issue to the beach.”
Kaczor said sewers are problematic when they are built too close to potential flooding zones near beaches, lakes or ponds.
“Things get underwater at high tide, and sewers are no exception to this statement. When this happens, our water quality issues amplify,” Kaczor said. “This is water we let our children play in, and it’s oftentimes the most polluted water of all.”
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, colder waters hold more carbon dioxide, leading to higher acidity. Pollution from fertilizers and leaky sewage systems adds to the problem by causing algae to bloom. The algae decompose and raise acidity, making ocean water dangerous to swim in after rainfall. Lab studies show that many types of valuable shellfish, such as eastern oysters, hardshell clams, softshell clams, mussels and bay clams, have fared poorly in carbon dioxide-rich waters
Gaps in the water monitoring system make it nearly impossible to pinpoint the source of harmful bacteria, Kaczor said. When a sample is collected Tuesday, the results typically don’t come in for about 24 hours, which leaves a lot of time for change to occur in waters after posting an advisory.
“Regardless of our funding being on the chopping block, we’re all in this together and we all have a role to play,” Kaczor said. “There isn’t any one silver bullet that will tell us where the problem is, and oftentimes the solutions are not easy and not cheap.”
Another issue of concern for Maine’s beaches is promoting public awareness of the importance of keeping species that live on the beach and in the ocean safe from human destruction.
Laura Minich Zitske, a wildlife ecologist at Maine Audubon and director of Maine’s piping plover recovery project, spoke about the importance of keeping these endangered birds safe by educating and raising awareness.
Zitske explained the after-effects of pollution often lead to habitat disturbance or habitat loss. She also explained the most destructive behavior often isn’t obvious because it usually isn’t a crime committed with ill intentions.
“When we want a better view, we take out dunegrass. For a cleaner looking beach, we take seaweed and seashells off the shores,” Zitske said. “What people don’t understand is that all these natural resources provide food and shelter to many species, and taking it away only further pushes them to extinction.”
Zitske explained wildlife endangerment often is as simple as informing the public when to steer clear of delicate wildlife areas. This year in Old Orchard Beach, she monitored nine resting pairs of piping plovers. Out of the nine, seven fledged 16 chicks, a success rate she attributed to aggressive public information efforts designed to limit human exposure to the birds during nesting season.
“Clearly, wildlife and people can co-exist, but we need to know how to go about that,” Zitske said. “It helps spread awareness and foster awareness for beaches.”
Nancy Strong, a resident of Scarborough, attended the Maine Beach Conference in hopes of learning more about what it takes to keep their beaches clean for years to come.
“We’re trying to get educated on use of the beach, crowding of the beaches, behavior at the beca, erosion at the beach,” Strong said. “Living on or near a beach in Maine is a privilege and that those of us associated with a beach want to keep them healthy.”