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Mare Brook Watershed Plan
The Department of Planning and Development received a watershed planning grant from the State of Maine in 2019. The project began in October 2019. The final report was delivered by the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District on January 5, 2022. At the February 7, 2022 Town Council regular meeting, Council voted to adopt the final draft of the Mare Brook Watershed Management Plan. The plan identifies a multitude of stressors that contribute to Mare Brook’s Urban Impaired Stream status including, but not limited to, stormwater runoff from developed land, altered riparian zones, loss of floodplains, temperature increase, altered channels, loss of wetlands, road salt, nutrient (phosphorus and nitrogen) loading, and improperly placed and sized culverts. Additionally, the plan includes a robust implementation program featuring objectives and action items to be completed by the Town in conjunction with a variety of organizations and stakeholders and broken down into three phases of work, the first of which spans years 2022-2026.
For questions pertaining to the Mare Brook watershed planning process please call or email the Environmental Planner:
Ashley Charleson, Environmental Planner | 207-725-6661 | acharleson@brunswickme.org
Links will be posted on the Brunswick calendar here.
Final Draft (adopted by Town Council):
Mare Brook Watershed Management Plan (Final Draft)
Curious to read more? Check out Conservation Commission Chair, Sandy Stott’s latest writings on Mare Brook in the Press Herald and Times Record:
- Your Land: Exploring the reaches of Brunswick’s Mere Brook (July 2021)
- Your Land: A Mere Brook runs through us (February 2021)
- Your Land: To be a (Mere) brook (May 2020)
- Your Land: Slow times at Mere Brook’s mouth (July 2020)
A Mare Brook Watershed Leadership team was formed July 7, 2022 with the following members:
| Sandy Stott (Brunswick Conservation Commission) | Catherine Ferdinand (Bowdoin College) |
| Steve Walker (Brunswick Town Council) | Kristine Logan (Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority) |
| Marko Melendy (Brunswick Marine Resources Committee) | David Barney (Navy BRAC Environmental Coordinator) |
| David Page (Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment) | Angela Twitchell (Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust) |
| Sam Morris (Brunswick Planning Board) | Heather Huntt (Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District) |
The Committee is tasked with assisting staff with the implementation of the recommendations of the Mare Brook Watershed Plan. The Plan shall be implemented in phases and the Committee’s initial scope shall be limited to Phase 1 of the Plan to oversee the Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) study as well as culvert improvements identified.
Please explore the Interactive Mare Brook Watershed Planning Map.
The map will be updated as the planning process moves forward! If you have questions about the map content, please contact the Department of Planning and Development.