Bangor Begins Penjajawoc Stream Watershed-Based Plan Updates with Stream Survey
Field Crews to Conduct Stream Assessments From Stillwater Avenue to the Penobscot River
Bangor, ME – Bangor residents in the Penjajawoc Stream watershed may soon see field crews in their neighborhoods as the City of Bangor starts work to update the Penjajawoc Stream Watershed-Based Plan with a stream corridor survey.
The purpose of the stream survey is to assess the health of the watershed and then identify and prioritize improvement projects. Field work is set to happen at the end of this month (September) along areas of the stream just above Stillwater Avenue, to below Route 2 where the stream empties into the Penobscot River. Crew members will also work in portions of Meadow Brook, a tributary to Penjajawoc Stream that runs from near Longview Drive and Haskell Road down to Evergreen Woods. Field team members will be wearing safety vests and carrying identifying credentials, and the crew’s parked vehicles will have dashboard identification.
According to Richard May, the Stormwater Manager in the City’s Engineering Department, the final watershed-based plan will outline high impact projects for targeted and broad portions of the watershed to improve stream habitat and water quality, and help the City comply with State and Federal environmental regulations. The City has an obligation to identify and address pollutants that are causing impairment of its urban streams, and a lot of work has already been done toward improving the Penjajawoc. The next step is to reassess conditions and find new strategies to continue that progress.
According to May, the City has been collecting water quality data for several years, which provides long-term information about types and potential locations of pollutants entering into the watershed. In the next two weeks, field crews will conduct a physical survey to assess in-stream habitat quality, bank stability, and potential sources of significant stormwater or sediment inputs. The City will also work with consultants to evaluate over 50 existing stormwater control devices that are associated with developed sites, to see if their functionality can be improved. Equipped with these observations and other watershed information, the City will be able to prioritize impactful and practical next steps toward stream restoration.
As part of the Penjajawoc watershed-based planning process, the City and technical advisory committee (consisting of Maine Department of Environmental Protection scientists and environmental consultants) will invite residents to provide input, and hear updates at public information meetings to be scheduled during 2024. Residents can read more about past and current efforts to restore Penjajawoc Stream by visiting the City’s Urban Impaired Streams web page as well as viewing upcoming social media posts on the City of Bangor’s pages. For additional information, contact Rich May at 992-4243 or by email to richard.may@bangormaine.gov.
The Penjajawoc Stream watershed covers approximately 5,575 acres, and more than 90% is within the City of Bangor. The main stem of the stream extends approximately 9 miles from Penjajawoc Marsh, north of Stillwater Avenue to the Penobscot River a little east of the Hogan Road/Route 2 intersection. Meadow Brook begins behind the commercial development on Hogan Road and flows 1.5 miles to where it enters the Penjajawoc main stem just above Mt. Hope Avenue. Much of the northern part of the watershed is undeveloped, and a significant portion is Preserve Land managed by the Bangor Land Trust. The Maine DEP determined that Penjajawoc Stream does not meet state water quality standards, and therefore is on the state’s 303(d) list of impaired waters. The area of greatest focus for the City’s watershed planning and stream restoration efforts is the lower portion between Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road, which is highly developed and most likely to contribute pollutants due to stormwater runoff. Previous assessments indicate that road salt is likely a stream stressor, and the updated watershed-based plan will provide the City with strategies toward reducing the water quality impacts of de-icing products.
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The City of Bangor, Maine is a service center community of 31,753 residents and is the county seat of Penobscot County. Bangor is the major commercial and cultural center for much of northern and eastern Maine. The City is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. For information on City projects and news, see www.bangormaine.gov.