A unique coastal watershed survey in Maine

Abstract

A unique, community-based coastal watershed survey was conducted in the Stanley Brook Watershed in Seal Harbor, Maine, between June and October of 2005. The Stanley Brook Watershed Survey was specifically designed to address the pollution issues affecting Stanley Brook habitats and public health issues at Seal Harbor Beach. This novel watershed survey utilized key components of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection watershed survey process, which targets nonpoint source pollution, and the Maine Department of Marine Resources sanitary shoreline survey process, which targets point sources of bacterial pollution. The survey was coupled with water quality monitoring at Seal Harbor Beach through the Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) program. The Stanley Brook Watershed encompasses 378 ha (935 ac) and straddles both Acadia National Park (ANP) and the village of Seal Harbor in the town of Mt. Desert on Mt. Desert Island, Maine. The headwaters of Stanley Brook begin on Day Mountain; including its tributaries, Stanley Brook is 6 km (3.7 mi) in total length, meandering through ANP before emptying into the ocean at Seal Harbor Beach. Stanley Brook is a rich habitat for local flora and fauna. Sea-run brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) have been documented in Stanley Brook (Kazyak 2011), which makes…