|
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
'It's our lifeblood'
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||||
 |
The Four-Part Series: Saco River: Source to Sea | |||||||||||
Michael Scarks gets frustrated when he looks across the Saco River to his neighbor's lawn, where trees have given way to grass and shrubs. To Scarks, the landscaping is a blatant violation of the rules that govern the river, keeping its fragile ecology in balance by limiting what can be done along its banks. Fueling his frustration is what he views as a lack of response from the organization charged with enforcing those rules - the Saco River Corridor Commission. "I think (the river) has been generally maintained and protected pretty well," he said. "But some people get away with more than others." For most of its 134-mile length, the quality of water and the protections along the Saco River make it a popular source of recreation. But where Scarks lives - a few miles from the river's mouth - the Saco is a river with a job to do. The last 15 miles of the river pass through Biddeford and Saco. It is the most urban, industrial and developed portion of the waterway. It is here that river-watchers like Scarks and environmentalists are waging a nonstop battle to protect the Saco's shores from development and to maintain the water quality. The river is guarded zealously along this stretch because it's a drinking-water source for a large portion of York County.
For the most part, though, the river still seems in its natural state where the water company draws up to 10 million gallons a day, treats it and sends it to Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Pine Point. In the summer, the water also is channeled to Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Wells and Ogunquit, providing drinking water to more than 100,000 people. The need probably won't end there. Jerry Mansfield, president of the water company, said a 1970 study of Northeast water supplies by the Army Corps of Engineers predicted the source of water for all of southern Maine would ultimately be the Saco River. "The area is growing," he said. "Every year we've been adding 100 to 300 services" for new customers. Supplying more drinking water is not too tall an order for York County's largest river. At a minimum, 250 million gallons of water a day flows through the water company. Environmentalists say that for now, the river is clean enough to keep using for drinking water. From Swan Pond Brook in Biddeford to its source in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the river has a Class A or AA rating, the highest quality. It changes to a Class B just before it reaches the water company, and drops to Class C below Main Street in Biddeford. Those who know the river are not surprised by the lower rating in the most urban section of the river with the most developed riverfront. It's where the Saco River meets the Biddeford and Saco sewer departments, the only municipal wastewater treatment systems along the river's entire course. This section also hosts an overwhelming number of motorboats. Still, Dana Murch, supervisor of dams for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, said he is impressed with the overall condition of the Saco. Class A, he said, means it is a river with natural water quality. "If there is too much pollution and dissolved oxygen is too low, you don't reach Class A," he said. "The Saco River is clean enough that it's a water supply. That's not true of the other major rivers in Maine." He compares the Saco with the Androscoggin River, which has no Class A rating at any point. Murch gives much of the credit to the Saco River Corridor Commission, which watches over the 1,697 square miles that make up the Saco River basin. The Saco is the only water source in Maine with such a commission. Its roots were planted in the early 1970s when a group of citizens, many of them landowners, got together to share concerns about development on the river. The Legislature gave the commission power to regulate any development on the Maine section of the river and on its two primary tributaries, the Ossipee River and the Little Ossipee River. It also was granted the power to enforce the rules. Today, the commission is composed of 20 members from the 20 communities in the Saco River basin. The corridor includes all land within 500 to 1,000 feet of the Saco and Ossipee riverbanks, unless the property is grandfathered. Any proposed development within this boundary requires a permit from the commission before going to a town or city board. Commission rules prohibit new development within 100 feet of the riverbanks. The commission tries to keep the banks covered in trees and soil, which are nature's filtering agents for pollutants. "Keeping the river in a natural state is something the Legislature tried to do," said Dennis Finn, the commission's executive director. "In my way of thinking, it's a privilege to live on the water. But the water belongs to everybody, and some development activity can have a negative effect on the water quality." The commission's regulation and enforcement powers have not always been welcomed, however. Last year, the commission came under scrutiny when it denied a permit for the University of New England in Biddeford to build two dormitories within 500 feet of the shoreline. The denial prompted one outraged member, Mark Johnston of Saco, to call for ending the commission's jurisdiction in the tidal section of the river where UNE is located, from Main Street in Biddeford to the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the commission's permit denials, the Biddeford City Council approved special "university zoning" to let the school build the dorms 15 feet taller than the limit in the surrounding neighborhood. The dorms are now being built. Scarks, meanwhile, says the commission's lack of follow-up in enforcing the law is more aggravating. The commission, he said, was not pro-active enough in forcing his neighbor to replace the trees that the landowner says were taken down by a storm. "(The landowner has) done the wrong, and if it costs a lot of money to put it back, then that is a burden they should have to bear," Scarks said. Finn, the commission's director, said a settlement is being worked out with the landowner. He said the commission does have the authority to pull building permits and levy fines when people disobey the laws. But the commission tries to avoid that, Finn said. "The commission is far more interested in compliance (with) the law than dealing out punishment," he said. The commission does have its supporters. Bob Boilard, a Saco River advocate, is satisfied with the job that the commission has done, although he remains a constant critic of the river's water quality. He worries about the people who have to be forced to care for the river, and the things people get away with - such as the cattle that drink straight from the river and leave their waste there, just a few miles above the water company's pumping station. "That's no good," he said. "That is a polluting action." Boilard says the only reason the river seems so healthy is because the other rivers in Maine are so unhealthy. Since the 1940s, Boilard has lived on a hill overlooking the Biddeford side of the river below the Cataract power station. He agrees the Saco is in much better shape than it was then. He remembers a time when the water below the textile mills on Factory Island between Biddeford and Saco flowed in technicolor. But every day he battles the things that threaten the river - acid rain, overboard discharges, runoff pollution from nearby homes. He has reason to worry. Development pressures within the river basin are as real as ever. Two of York County's fastest-growing towns, Dayton and Waterboro, are located within the basin. As nearby cities like Boston gain population, more people are seeking the solace of the still-natural Saco River for recreation, for clean water and for its limited waterfront property. Like many others, Boilard believes that no matter what, the Saco River should never be compromised. "It's a reservoir," he said. "It's the lifeblood of York County. It's the only body of water that can support and keep us in clean water. A river that provides billions of gallons of water for drinking is a river worth protecting." Staff Writer Giselle Goodman can be contacted at 324-4888 or at:
|
||||||||||||
