Susanne Meidel

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Wow, how beautiful!
Oh, gross!
Birch Stream in Bangor - Little Stream - BIG News
Susanne Meidel Leon Tsomides
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Overview of Presentation
Regular small urban stream - not much news
Monitoring and landuse analysis by Maine
DEP Many developments - BIG news Pollution
problems Multiple studies Monitoring
reports Remedial actions at airport
complex Residents involvement Public
meetings Major publicity Future - good news
ahead? Monitoring by various groups TMDL
development, by Maine DEP
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Birch Stream
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Land Use in Watershed in Early 1990s
Land use categories Commercial-Industrial-
Transportation (gray) 40 Residential (Dense,
High/Low Intensity red, purple) 31 Forests
(Deciduous, Coniferous, Mixed) and Grassland
(greens) 23 Impervious cover 30
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Birch Stream in 1902
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Birch Stream Pictures
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Macroinvertebrate Data 1997 - 2001 (i)
Crooked Brook (reference stream)
Birch Stream (middle station)
Class C
Class A
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Macroinvertebrate Data 1997 - 2001 (ii)
Dominant taxa 1997 Simulium (blackfly)
56 Cricotopus (midge) 18 Erpobdella (leech)
10 1999 Cricotopus (midge) 35 Conchapelopia
(midge) 13 Nephelopsis (leech)
9 2001 Micropsectra (midge) 16 Baetis
(mayfly) 12 Rheotanytarsus (midge) 10
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Water Quality Data 1997-2001
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
Conductivity (mS/cm)
n.d.
Conductivity in reference stream lt75 mS/cm
Temperature in 2001 (ºCelsius)
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Consequences of DEP Monitoring

• Put on Maines 1998 303(d) list and 2002 305(b)
  list because of non-attainment of Maines
  statutory aquatic life criteria
• Scheduled for TMDL development between 2008 and
  2011
• Reported in Maines Surface Water Ambient Toxics
  (SWAT) report for 1997, 1999 and 2001

Same old story stream degraded by
urbanization put on list of impaired streams and
TMDL list
No major news here
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Birch Stream started to get bigger ..
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Spring 2003
Residents in nearby housing complex Complaints of
yeasty odor Health effects headaches,
migraines, nausea, sinus problems attributed by
residents to air quality Blamed odor and bad air
quality on Birch Stream Contacted local fire
department, Maine DEP, and press
Smell traced back to airport complex in upper
watershed ME Air National Guard (ANG) and Bangor
International Airport (BIA) Deicer propylene
glycol used in winter operations had drained into
Birch Stream
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Maine DEP Observations in May 2003
Strong smell of glycol
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Airport and Deicer Use
? Deicer use before 9/11 (winter 2000/2001)
lt50,000 gallons (ANG, BIA combined) ? Deicer
use after 9/11 winter 2001/2002
100,000 gallons winter 2002/2003
gt150,000 gallons Reasons increased security
measures war in Iraq ? ANG was aware of
problems - º began planning for deicer
removal º started monitoring water quality
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Meeting of concerned parties (May 2003)
Air National Guard, Bangor International
Airport DEP City of Bangor It was decided to
improve communication among all parties Share
monitoring data and information Inform public of
developments
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Things got going .. while Birch Stream stayed
in the news
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ANG and BIA Sampling
Intent investigate potential effect of deicer
runoff on Birch Stream Sampling on 5 dates in
2003 Water and sediment from 3-6
locations Parameters BOD, COD VOCs, SVOCs,
Propylene and Ethylene Glycol Diesel /
Gasoline Range Organics Total Suspended Solids
, Metals
Only DRO in sediments was high (21 - 600
mg/Kg) but - applicable criteria unclear need
further research
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DEP Sampling, Bureau of Remediation
Intent investigate potential effect of former
defense site at airport on Birch
Stream Sampling on June 4, 2003 What Water and
sediment Where 3 - 4 locations Parameters 13
metals (priority pollutants) VOCs,
SVOCs DRO, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Pest
icides, PCBs
Only PAHs in sediment exceeded ecological
benchmarks and human health criteria
Conclusion in published report Birch Stream is
somewhat polluted, likely due to multiple sources
- largely regular urban NPS pollution based on
these results Results do not explain health
complaints of citizens
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DEP Sampling, Bureau of Land and Water Quality
Urban Streams Project, Summer 2003 (i) Intent
investigate effects of all stressors on Birch
Stream
Class B
Crooked Brook (reference stream)
Birch Stream Middle station
Birch Stream Lower station
Class B
Class C
Class A
NA
NA
2003
2003
2001
1997
2001
1999
2003
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Urban Streams Project, Summer 2003 (ii)
Middle station Dominant taxa Simulium (blackfly)
44 Tanytarsus (midge) 14 Gyraulus (snail) 6
Lower station Dominant taxa Tanytarsus (midge)
35 Baetis (mayfly) 12 Rheotanytarsus
(midge) 10
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Urban Streams Project Data 2003 (iii)
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
Conductivity (mS/cm)
Temperature (ºCelsius)
Water chemistry analysis showed high levels
of Total Nitrogen Total Phosphorus Chlorophyll
a E. coli
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Urban Streams Project Data 2003 (iv)
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While everybody was busy sampling...

• Non-profits involvement
• Maine Rivers (1 of Maines Worst Rivers
  Stories of 2003)
• Toxics Action Center
• Residents organize
• Form G.P. Cats (Griffin Park Citizens
  Against Toxic Stream)
• Public meetings
• 2003 July 17, September 12
• 2004 January 8
• Published reports
• 2 DEP study reports available on DEP website
• Radio / TV coverage
• 9/18 freespeech.org radio interview with
  residents
• 11/8 TV report on Birch Stream clean-up

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Birch Stream Cleanup (11/2003) Items Taken From
Stream 148 grocery carts including one
Frontloader full of scrap wood manufactured
2/83 Fiberglass insulation 25 Tires 5 bed
sheets 2 car batteries Yards of rope 11
empty cans of motor oil 2 sections of a garage
door 16 paint cans, 2 that were full Rug 6
Couches/overstuffed chairs Sheet metal 3
hypodermic needles Diapers 5
bicycles Childs scooter 1.5 gallon pail
(driveway sealer?) Childs stroller Can of tire
sealer Bed Springs 2 fiberglass panels from a
car Printer Sleeping bag Typewriter 2
mattresses Plastic bags, pieces of
plastic Many feet of metal pipe
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and then there was the Press Coverage
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Next Steps

• Continued monitoring
• ANG, BIA Maine DEP
• TMDL development Stream restoration
• Winter/spring of 2005 Address erosion
  issues
• Residents concerns
• Health study
• Make monitoring and other info available
• Overall goal
• Make Birch Stream a viable resource for residents
  
• Restore healthy biota in the stream

Have positive news on Birch Stream
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Thanks to .
Maine Air National Guard (Major Eric
Johns) Bangor International Airport (Rodney
Madden) Bangor Daily News Maine DEP staff (Ed
Logue, Iver McLeod, Jeff Varricchione)