By David Harry

Staff Writer

Trout Brook is ailing, in part because people are unaware it exists, said South Portland Stormwater Program Coordinator Fred Dillon.

“Some people don’t realize the poor little stream is running through their backyard,” he said.

From its source in Cape Elizabeth to its mouth at Casco Bay, Trout Brook encompasses nearly three miles of watershed that flows past farms, subdivisions, schools and Mill Creek Park. Part of its watershed includes Kimball Brook and Sawyer Marsh on the Cape Elizabeth-South Portland boundary.

Trout Brook and its watershed is one of 11 urban impaired streams in Cumberland County, according to Cumberland County Soil and Conservation District Project Manager Betty Williams.

Urban impaired streams fail to meet federal water quality standards because of effects of stormwater runoff from developed land, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

In a stretch between Broadway and Highland Avenue, traffic noise is almost fully absorbed by trees above the streambed, but gouges in banks and exposed spindly tree roots show how the force of water flows downstream.

In some watershed areas, even finding the stream from the road is a challenge.

“People think it’s just a culvert,” Williams said.

Runoff and lack of vegetation along the banks has lowered oxygen levels in the water, altered the flow of the stream and contaminated the water with oil, pesticides, insecticides and bacteria, Dillon said.

Trout Brook is one of two urban impaired streams in South Portland, but Williams said it is in far better shape than Long Creek, which flows through the Maine Mall area to the Fore River.

“Trout Brook has a high potential to be restored,” Williams said.

Department of Environmental Protection officials who monitor the condition of the stream have found encouraging signs as well, including trout nearly a foot in length.

Dillon said recent data shows about 21 percent of surfaces near the watershed are impervious, meaning there is little to absorb runoff before it reaches the stream. 

“Eight to 10 percent can cause degradation,” Dillon said.

Dillon and Williams are creating a restoration plan with $35,000 in DEP funds that originated from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It relies heavily on voluntary efforts from about 1,400 property owners who live or work near the watershed.

Individual property owners are critical to successful restoration of the watershed, and Williams said she was encouraged because a public forum two weeks ago attracted at least 50 people.

Working groups have discussed residential effects on the watershed and the condition of the streambed have met several times since the forum, Dillon said.

Homeowners can reduce harmful stormwater flow in the watershed by getting rid of invasive plant species and planting native vegetation at stream banks, limiting the use of pesticides and insecticides, properly cleaning up pet waste and redirecting rainwater to gardens or barrels, Dillon said.

“We see voluntary efforts as the best way to push forward,” Williams added. 

The project has been supported by local governments and land trusts in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth-South Portland Conservation Commission. Dillon said restoration will be bolstered by plans to improve Mill Creek Park.

Dillon said efforts on public land, including Mill Creek Park, could involve planting vegetation to strengthen the banks and even altering the 90-degree angle where the brook turns in the park.

Dillon said he anticipates having the restoration plan completed in a year and said it is too early to estimate the cost of restoring the watershed.  

He and Williams welcome calls and e-mails about restoration work and what steps can be taken to help.

Dillon can be reached at 347-4138 and fdillon@southportland.org. Williams can be reached at 892-4700 and betty-williams@cumberlandswcd.org. To learn more about the condition of the watershed, visit cumberlandswcd.org.