Dole Brook Watershed
Who
Us, our dogs, our yards, and our cars are all potential sources of pollution.
What
Dole Brook isn’t healthy - it doesn’t have enough oxygen in the water for fish and their food (aquatic bugs), limited plants along the brook to provide shade and habitat, and it gets
A LOT of water moving fast during storms which can cause erosion and muddy the water.
Where
Dole Brook is 1.6 miles or 2.5 kilometers long and drains to the Presumpscot River.
When
Every time it rains or snow and ice melts, the stormwater runoff washes trash, fertilizers, dog waste, soil, car oil, road salt, and other pollutants into storm drains that go right into the brook!
Why
Dole Brook watershed is over 25% developed, that means roads, houses, businesses, schools, parking lots, and other hard surfaces that water can’t soak into, so it has to travel on top of until it can find a storm drain or soft surface like the forest to soak into.
The watershed is experiencing significant new industrial and commercial residential development which means we need to use additional stormwater management education and infrastructure to make sure Dole Brook doesn’t get worse.
City Actions
The City of Portland is also working in the Dole Brook watershed to improve water quality by:
Sweeping streets
Encouraging redevelopment
Building structured parking and reducing unnecessary parking requirements
Implementing land care ordinances to reduce pesticide and fertilizer applications
Monitoring winter storms, calibrating equipment, and following safe standards to avoid over applying road salt
Did You Know?
The Casco Bay High School/PATHS sits on the boundary of two watersheds! Stormwater runoff from the front of the school flows to Fall Brook while the wetlands behind the school are the start of Dole Brook.