This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from The Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.
MACHIAS, Maine — The Upper Machias Bay Master Plan Leadership Committee has released its recommendations for infrastructure improvements following a public meeting earlier this month.
Among the recommendations to address flooding in downtown Machias are fixing drainage issues on Short Street and at the base of Court Street, including slowing stormwater that flows downhill there; working with the Maine Department of Transportation to increase inspections and repairs of catch basins, culverts, ditches and outflows; and offering incentives and education for watershed landowners to plant rain gardens, use rain barrels and keep roadside ditches and drains clear.
Longer-term solutions include obtaining a full engineering report on stormwater system upgrades and raising funds to carry out projects that would slow or divert stormwater and reduce flood risk.
Discussion stations on each topic were set up at the community meeting to collect public input and answer questions before the recommendations are finalized and sent to the Maine Department of Transportation.
Public input suggested that the most realistic solutions for flooding are hybrid systems that combine moving and storing water, barriers and active management. Public comment also noted that the flooding is “not a single problem with a single cause — it’s layered, location-specific and driven by different processes,” according to a summary of recommendations and public input from the March 2 meeting.
Downtown Machias faces flood risk from two directions — rising sea levels from the ocean and swelling river tributaries fueled by heavy rainfall, snowmelt and runoff.
When both surge at once, floods like the “100-year” event on Jan. 10, 2024, can strike quickly and unpredictably, leaving residents stranded and buildings damaged.
The Maine Department of Transportation has already upgraded some infrastructure, and Machias Public Works is mapping the stormwater system to identify drains in need of repair and maintenance, according to Tora Johnson, director of the Sustainable Prosperity Initiative for the Sunrise County Economic Council.
A stormwater engineer at the University of Maine is also working with students to build a model to help the committee study how water — whether runoff or storm surge — can be slowed or diverted away from downtown Machias.
Other areas addressed in the committee’s recommendations summary, in addition to stormwater and flooding, include engagement with the public and municipal officials; wastewater; support for individual properties and businesses; the capped Machias landfill; and the replacement of the Machias Dike Bridge.
“These questions have been hanging over this community for nearly two decades,” Ben Edwards, a member of the Upper Machias Bay Master Plan Leadership Committee and vice chair of the Machias Select Board, said at the meeting, according to notes of his opening remarks. “This is the most structured, inclusive, locally led process this community has ever had around this issue.”
Edwards listed the main shared goals all parties agree on for the committee’s focus areas: keeping Route 1 open; protecting downtown businesses; minimizing impacts on landowners; containing landfill risks; and strengthening emergency preparedness.
Members of the public made clear at the last meeting in December that businesses want to adapt in place, people want near-term action rather than only long-range studies, and that stormwater, wastewater, tidewater and the dike are all interconnected, Edwards said.
Eighteen members of the committee voted to recommend the Maine Department of Transportation’s preferred option of an in-kind, or precise, replacement of the Machias Dike Bridge, while five voted no and one member abstained.
The dike carries Route 1, utility lines and the Downeast Sunrise Trail across the Middle River. Recent storms have damaged the 150-year-old structure.
For Machias’ Wastewater Treatment Facility, the committee unanimously recommends building water storage tanks to hold stormwater and reduce combined sewer overflow events, and working with Olver Associates Inc., the environmental engineering firm that operates the plant, to determine primary sources of floodwater, estimate how flood risk will change over time, and assess whether vulnerabilities will increase with additional connections.
For the capped landfill in Machias, the committee recommends conducting comprehensive well testing around the site and ensuring any groundwater contamination is quickly remediated. The summary also calls for repairs to the landfill cap, more stringent maintenance protocols and managing water levels in the Middle River basin.
On public engagement, the committee agreed unanimously that for “any future endeavor involving private property in the Upper Machias Bay Region, the owner and their respective town officials should be notified and invited to participate in the process in the beginning stages of the project.”
The committee also recommended updating and implementing the emergency response plan to address weather and flooding emergencies, partnering with schools to increase preparedness and establishing an Upper Machias Bay Community Emergency Response Team.
Formed in January 2025, the Upper Machias Bay Master Plan Leadership Committee is a collaboration between the town of Machias and the Sunrise County Economic Council to address these issues.
A report detailing the committee’s decision-making process and final recommendations is expected in April.