Urban Impaired Streams

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) routinely tests streams throughout the state to determine the water quality in a stream.  When the waters of the stream are determined to not meet their standards, the DEP considers them impaired.  There are six Urban Impaired Streams that are within the City of Bangor.

The Urban Impaired Streams in the City of Bangor include, Arctic Brook, Birch Stream, Capehart Brook, Penjajawoc Stream, Shaw Brook, and Sucker Brook.  Each of these streams is delineated by its watershed.  A watershed is a land area that drains to a certain waterbody, such as a stream.  The land within a stream’s watershed can influence the health of the stream through the land uses and activities.  Of all of the land in Bangor, more than 44% of the land area is within a watershed of an Urban Impaired Stream.

Many of these impairments are attributed to a high amount of impervious cover in these watersheds.  The impervious surfaces (such as roofs, driveways, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks) allow pollution such as soils, oil and grease, excess nutrients from fertilizers and pet waste, and litter to enter the stream.  The stormwater acts as a broom, pushing pollutants across the pavement and into the stormwater systems which lead to the stream.  This “non-point” source pollution usually isn’t from one individual, business or activity, but is a collection of many small inputs of pollution that can have a larger impact on a waterbody.

What is the City of Bangor doing to address these Urban Impaired Streams?

The City of Bangor is making efforts to improve the water quality in the waters of the impaired streams in the City.  These efforts include: raising awareness of water quality issues through education and outreach, writing and implementing watershed-based plans, structural Best Management Practice (BMPs) to improve stormwater quality, and following development regulations from the Maine DEP. 

Stormwater education and outreach is largely accomplished in a collaborative effort of Bangor area municipalities, federal facilities, and public universities through their membership in the Bangor Area Stormwater Group (BASWG).  These efforts are aimed at improving stewardship of lands to improve stormwater quality by local residents.

Watershed-Based Plans (WBPs, sometimes referred to as “watershed management plans”) are written for specific waterbodies as a “road map” to improve water quality and/or habitat within a waterbody.  The City of Bangor has active WBPs for Arctic Brook and Capehart Brook.  Birch Stream and Penjajawoc Stream have had active WBPs in the past, and updated plans for these two streams will be written by 2027.  Sucker Brook and Shaw Brook do not have WBPs at this time.

The City has installed many structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Urban Impaired Stream watersheds over the years.  These BMPs are usually designed to capture stormwater, remove pollutants, lower temperatures, and slowly release the stormwater.  Slowly releasing the stormwater mimics a more natural environment with less impervious cover.

The goal of both the Maine DEP and the City of Bangor is to improve water quality in these waterbodies to the point where they are no longer impaired.

What can citizens do to address these Urban Impaired Streams?

Citizens can make small changes in their everyday lives that can have a big impact when multiplied over a larger population.  Reducing individual pollutant loads from many individuals in a community can be effective at reducing pollutant loads in waterways.  Non-point source pollution reduction can be reduced on an individual level.  Common non-point source pollutants in Maine and ways to reduce them include:

• Sediment - From eroding soils

  • These can be reduced by stabilizing soils with vegetation and mulch

  • Mow your lawn at 3 inches or higher for healthy turf

  • Repair areas damaged by snow removal in the spring

• Nutrients – From fertilizers and pet wastes

  • Only apply lawn chemicals when needed

  • Pick up your pets’ waste and dispose in the trash

  • Don’t dump yard wastes in ditches or drainageways

• Oils, Greases, and other chemicals - From mechanical system leaks

  • Maintain mechanical items such as vehicles and outdoor power equipment to fix and prevent leaks

  • Clean up leaks and spills immediately using absorbent materials – do not “wash them away”

• Litter – garbage and other disposed items

  • Keep your outdoor waste receptacles covered and secured from wind

  • Clean up litter

• Chlorides - From salts used for snow and ice control

  • Follow the instructions on the packaging for the ice melting product

  • Pay attention to the outside temperature when applying salts

    • Salt is not as effective in extreme cold, no matter how much is used

    • Not as much product is needed in warmer temperatures and sunny days

For more information…

If you have questions or comments, please contact Richard May in the City’s Engineering Department at 992-4243 or Richard.May@bangormaine.gov

Also visit the individual pages for each of the above listed streams at www.bangormaine.gov