Department of Marine Resources, Division of Public Health, Shellfish Program Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1

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This publication is courtesy of the Department of Marine Resources Public Health Division for the shellfish industry, town municipalities and the general public with the goal of sharing information, providing updates on current PHD staff projects, and communicating current issues that impact coastal communities regarding water quality and the shellfish resource.

	What’s Inside? Can You Dig It: Recent Increases To Shellfish Harvest Areas Shoreline Surveys: Determining Priorities for 2011 Town Resources: Grants Available, Deadlines Coming Up! Community: Working Together For Shellfish Spotlight on the Kennebec: KEP Facts: Did You Know... Rainfall and Pollution The Scoop on Fecal Coliform Red Tide and PSP Upcoming Events - Send us info about your event!

Can You Dig It: Recent Upgrades To Shellfish Harvest Areas Shellfish areas along the coast are annually re-evaluated by DMR staff to identify and assess the impacts of pollution. Because shellfish are filter feeders, they will take up and accumulate pollution from the water in their tissue, leaving them unsafe for consumption. If new water sample results for an area show that water quality has improved to meet higher standards and known pollution sources have been remediated and documented to verify that shellfish are safe to harvest, upgrades to these areas can be completed by staff and harvestable acreage increased for industry. More detailed information about specific shellfish areas and the history of how and why upgrades occurred can be found in the Growing Area reports.

Recent Classification Upgrades
Date	Location	Town	Old Classification	New Classification	Why?
3/29/2011	Sherman Creek and Wildcat Creek	Edgecomb, Boothbay	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Water quality improved to seasonally meet approved standards.
3/28/2011	Nonesuch River	Scarborough	Restricted	Approved	The town and shellfish committee fixed known pollution sources and water quality improved.
3/23/2011	Montsweag Bay - Oak Island	Woolwich	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Water quality seasonally meets approved standards.
3/23/2011	Montsweag Bay - East of Phipps Point	Woolwich, Westport Is.	Prohibited	Restricted	Water quality meets restricted standards.
3/15/2011	Town Boat Ramp	West Bath	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	A known pollution source was fixed or removed.
3/14/2011	Hornbarn Cove	Cushing	Restricted	Approved	A dilution calculation for a stream reduced the size of the restricted area.
3/10/2011	Burnt Coat Harbor	Swan Island	Prohibited	Approved	Shoreline survey updated and pollution sources were fixed or removed.
3/2/2011	Hospital Point	South Thomaston	Conditionally Restricted	Conditionally Approved	Water meets approved standards seasonally.
3/2/2011	Bradstreet Cove	South Bristol	Prohibited	Approved	One failing septic system was fixed and water meets apprived standards.
3/2/2011	Brave Boat Harbor	Kittery, York	Prohibited	Approved	Shoreline survey completed and water meets approved standards.
2/25/2011	Hutchins Point	Penobscot	Restricted	Approved	Water quality improved, and a dilution calculation reduced the size of a restricted area around an OBD.
2/11/2011	* Eastern Quahog Bay	Harpswell	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Water quality improved and pollution sources were fixed or removed.
2/1/2011	Lower Chewonki Creek	Wiscasset	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Water meets approved standards seasonally.
1/5/2011	Naskeag Point	Brooklin	Restricted	Approved	Water quality improved.
12/20/2010	Broad Cove	Cumberland	Restricted	Conditionally Approved	Water quality improved and one pollution source was fixed.
12/15/2010	Mill Pond	Phippsburg	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Water quality improved and pollution source identified and fixed.
11/30/2010	Webhannet River	Wells	Prohibited	Conditionally Approved	Shoreline surveys updated and completed after old survey expired.
11/15/2010	Hutchins Cove	Penobscot	Restricted	Approved	Water quality improved.
* to read a newspaper article about how the community has responded to the classification upgrade in Quahog Bay, check out a February 17th article in The Times Record entitled “Cold hard cache.”

Shoreline Surveys: Determining Priorities for 2011 Shoreline surveys are critical in tracking pollution in all shellfish areas. DMR staff do this fieldwork in cooperation with the DEP and coastal town officials during the spring, summer and fall seasons. These surveys include going door-to-door on all property within 500 ft. of the shoreline and identifying any potential or actual pollution sources that could negatively impact shellfish areas. Currently, staff are in the process of writing up reports from 2010 and developing plans for what will be surveyed in the 2011 season.
	Will DMR Be Surveying In Your Town? The DMR routinely surveys all areas along the Maine coast on a rotating 12 year cycle. Every year, the DMR will also survey priority areas. To identify priority areas, the DMR sends an annual letter in the fall to all coastal towns with municipal shellfish ordinances asking if there are any areas where staff should focus their fieldwork for the following year, based on local shellfish resource. For towns that reply, the DMR then communicates with the DEP to determine which areas have the most potential to benefit from shoreline surveys based on pollution remediation efforts. Once the snow and ice melt, DMR contacts those towns where shoreline survey work will take place and DMR staff head out into the field. How are survey areas determined?
Find out more about what shoreline surveys look for and what happens if pollution sources are found, here.
Town Resources: Grants Available, Deadlines Coming Up! Fixing pollution sources to clean up water quality and increase harvestable shellfish areas can be an expensive process for individuals and towns. The good news is that there are grants and loans available from a variety of state and federal sources that can be used to fund projects. Information about a few programs can be found below.

Shoreline Surveys: Determining Priorities for 2011

Shoreline surveys are critical in tracking pollution in all shellfish areas. DMR staff do this fieldwork in cooperation with the DEP and coastal town officials during the spring, summer and fall seasons. These surveys include going door-to-door on all property within 500 ft. of the shoreline and identifying any potential or actual pollution sources that could negatively impact shellfish areas. Currently, staff are in the process of writing up reports from 2010 and developing plans for what will be surveyed in the 2011 season.

Contact your local shellfish warden or DMR shellfish program staff to report potential pollution sources that could affect shellfish flats.

Will DMR Be Surveying In Your Town?

The DMR routinely surveys all areas along the Maine coast on a rotating 12 year cycle. Every year, the DMR will also survey priority areas. To identify priority areas, the DMR sends an annual letter in the fall to all coastal towns with municipal shellfish ordinances asking if there are any areas where staff should focus their fieldwork for the following year, based on local shellfish resource. For towns that reply, the DMR then communicates with the DEP to determine which areas have the most potential to benefit from shoreline surveys based on pollution remediation efforts. Once the snow and ice melt, DMR contacts those towns where shoreline survey work will take place and DMR staff head out into the field.

How are survey areas determined?

Find out more about what shoreline surveys look for and what happens if pollution sources are found, here.

Town Resources: Grants Available, Deadlines Coming Up!

Fixing pollution sources to clean up water quality and increase harvestable shellfish areas can be an expensive process for individuals and towns. The good news is that there are grants and loans available from a variety of state and federal sources that can be used to fund projects. Information about a few programs can be found below.

Funding for:	Who Can Apply:	Type:	Agency	Name	Date Due	For More Information
Septic Systems	Individuals	Grant	USDA Rural Development	503 Repair & Rehabilitation Grant Program	Year Round	more info here
	Individuals	Loan	USDA Rural Development	503 Repair & Rehabilitation Loan Program	Year Round	more info here
	Individuals	Loan	ME State Housing	Septic Loan Program	Year Round	more info here
	Town	Grant	ME DEP	Small Community Grant	1/31/2012	more info here
	Community	Grant	ME Office of Community Development	CDBG- Housing Assistance Grant Program	Apply 2012	more info here
	Community, Community Partnerships	Grant	ME Office of Community Development	CDBG- Community Planning Grant Program	5/13/2011	more info here
OBDs	Individuals, Local and Regional Governments	Grant	ME DEP	Overboard Discharge Replacement Grant Program	Year Round	more info here
Nonpoint Source Pollution	All Governments and Nonprofit Organizations	Grant	ME DEP	319 DEP Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control Grant Program	6/1/2011	more info here


Community: Working Together For Shellfish Local shellfish management is dependent upon cooperation between members of the community, the town, regional and state government to be successful. The formation of regional partnerships that bring all of these groups together has become an asset to organize and coordinate efforts to address shellfish related issues that effect coastal towns. Each newsletter will highlight groups who have come together around the state at the local, regional and state level to address water quality and shellfish issues. If you are a partnership like this and would like to be featured or are interested in organizing a partnership in your watershed please contact Alison Sirois at the DMR alison.sirois@maine.gov, 633-9401.
	The Kennebec Estuary Partnership
	Shellfish areas in the Kennebec have been plagued by numerous sources of pollution that have caused frequent restrictions and closures across the area’s shellfish flats. Fed up with not being able to take advantage of their town’s resources, shellfish harvesters and local, regional, and state agencies in the area took the initiative to set up a partnership and face pollution problems as a united front. The group they formed, the Kennebec Estuary Partnership, is now in its third year. After collaborating to support two AmeriCorps volunteers who will spend this year working to help the Partnership reach its goals, they are successfully moving forward and tackling pollution problems so that shellfish flats can be reopened. Learn more about the Kennebec Estuary Partnership and some of their projects here.
	Who are the Partners?
	Region Soil & Water Conservation Districts Land Trusts Watershed Councils Time and Tide	Federal USDA Rural Development USDA NRCS
	Town Shellfish Committees Shellfish Wardens	State DMR DEP State Planning Office


Facts: Did You Know…...
Rainfall and Pollution: April showers bring May flowers… and the possibility of closures for shellfish harvest areas. Rain causes fecal coliform counts to spike in water surrounding shellfish flats across the state. Find out more about why areas are more polluted after rainfall here!	The Scoop on Fecal Coliform: The DMR Public Health Shellfish Growing Area Classification Program uses fecal coliform to indicate if water is clean enough for shellfish harvesting, but what is fecal coliform? Why is it a problem for shellfish? Where does it come from? How does the lab test for it? Learn more here!	Red Tide and PSP: Red tide is a problem in Maine that can cause PSP, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. When red tide is present, shellfish areas are closed to protect public health. What is Red Tide? How does it affect shellfish? Learn more about Red Tide here!

Upcoming events? Let us know about your event so we can publicize it here.


	The Shellfish Growing Area Classification Program, also known as the Water Quality Program, is part of the Public Health Division of the Department of Marine Resources. The program monitors water quality and completes shoreline surveys to identify pollution sources that impact shellfish areas coastwide. Using fecal coliform as an indicator, water is tested year round throughout the entire coast and pollution sources are identified. Following federal guidelines used to maintain that shellfish harvested are safe to eat, staff classify shellfish resource areas as approved, conditionally approved, conditionally restricted, restricted, or prohibited based on public health. Go to the Shellfish Growing Area Classification Program webpage here.

Newsletter prepared by Ruth Indrick, a Maine Conservation Corps AmeriCorps Environmental Educator with the Department of Marine Resources, Shellfish Growing Area Classification Program. For questions about the newsletter, email ruth.t.indrick@maine.gov or call (207) 350-6897.
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