Editor:

Kudos to the Kennebunk Public Works Department for the fine job done on the recent repaving of Durrell’s Bridge Road. Its not so much the road repaving itself that I’m pleased with, although it is smooth and nicely crowned for good drainage, but the areas just off the road that normally may not attract the attention of the average motorist are what I like.

I’ve been part of the team of organizations and people who have been involved with projects to monitor bacteria levels and sources of pollution on the Kennebunk River for several years, with the goal of gradually cleaning up the river. Since 2004, when beach water sampling began, we’ve determined the river conditions influence water quality at Gooch’s Beach, so the Maine Healthy Beaches program has subsidized testing on various parts of the river for the past three years. This testing program has provided useful data, and points out several areas where unsafe bacteria levels can be attributed to sources both natural and human. The one overriding factor, however, that greatly affects bacteria levels in all parts of the river is storm-water. Even the most casual river observer will note the silty appearance of the river after a rain. This is actually bacteria-containing dirt that has washed into the river from storm-water that is allowed to run directly into the river instead of seeping into the ground or being channeled into a wetland. This brings me back to the Durrell’s Bridge Road construction.

 The ditch along the south side of the road was widened, and lined with sizeable stones. The stones will slow down the water-flow on this slope and prevent erosion in the ditch. At the foot of the slope, and well short of the river, a basin was constructed also lined with stone, which is meant to collect the storm-water and allow it to slowly seep into the ground where it will eventually work its way to the river. On the way, it will be filtered by the soil. The other side of the road has an asphalt berm that extends only part of the way down the road. This will allow storm-water to flow down the slope in the road until it gets to the end of the berm. From that point, it will sheet flow off the road and down into the grassy buffer zone between the road and the river and thereby be filtered before it gets to the river. The methods of storm-water control may differ somewhat at each site, but the principle is the same, i.e. to keep storm-water from flowing directly from roads, bridges, and gullies, directly into the river without passing through a wetland area or buffer zone for filtration. This example also points out the need to preserve our wetlands and buffer zones, as they are critical for storm-water control and are aquifer recharge areas.

So again I compliment the Kennebunk Public Works Department for taking this opportunity to improve storm-water control along our river. The extra planning and effort taken on this project will pay off in the long run with improved water quality in the river.

John White

Kennebunk Conservation Commission