The Falmouth Town Council has unanimously accepted the town’s 2021 Strategic Watershed Plan, which will be used to develop the town’s annual infrastructure projects and capital improvement budgets.
The plan could lead to replacing an eroded culvert on Mast Road near Highland Lake. It also includes recommendations to include watershed management in municipal budgets, designate a watershed manager and incorporate watershed protection in comprehensive planning.
A recent analysis showed that Mussell Cove and Hobbs Brook do not meet state Department of Environmental Protection standards for healthy water, and Webes Creek and Norton Brook also could be impaired if action is not taken.
Contributing to the problem are low stream flows between rainy days, erosion of the stream bed and pollutants such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Future stressors could include chloride toxicity in the water from salt used on driveways and sidewalks.
The test results were analyzed by Attainable: Sustainable Solutions, which said the town needs to focus on areas that drain into Casco Bay and create a water management plan.
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