Nasons Brook Watershed
Who
Us, our cars, businesses, restaurants, and stores are all potential sources of pollution.
What
Nasons Brook isn’t healthy - it doesn’t have enough oxygen in the water for fish and their food (aquatic bugs), has too many nutrients entering the water leading to lots of algae growing, 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
Nasons Brook is 2.8 miles or 4.5 kilometers long and flows into the Fore River. Most of the watershed is in Westbrook.
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
Nasons Brook watershed is over 29% 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.
City Actions
The City of Portland is also working in the Nasons 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?
Jewell Falls is the only natural waterfall in Portland and has a 22 foot drop. You can visit Jewell Falls using the Portland Trails system in the Fore River Sanctuary.