Public Infrastructure and Natural Resources/Hazards

Part 3 of CEDS data process

This story map provides a snapshot of data on public infrastructure and natural resources and hazards in the Midcoast region of Maine. You can use the tabs at the top of the screen to toggle to a different section. Please direct any questions to MCOG staff member Charlotte Nutt via her email cnutt@midcoastcog.com. You can find similar story maps on our website at www.midcoastcog.com.

Transportation/Infrastructure Assets

Mainers rely on cars for the majority of their travel, but it is not the only means of transportation. The first section of the story map dives into the transportation infrastructure in the MCOG region.

Water Districts

The map below shows the towns that water districts cover in the MCOG region. As towns and planners consider growth, public utilities are important to consider. Keep in mind that these are while the towns that a water district covers, a water district does not cover the entire town.

Towns with water districts cluster around Route 1. While these are some of the most densely populated areas, much of the growth in the MCOG region is occurring outside the Route 1 corridor and outside of water districts.

Flood Impacts

The maps below use the FEMA flood map data to identify high-risk infrastructure and areas throughout the MCOG region. Scroll through the maps to see some areas of interest or click on the minus button in the bottom right corner to zoom out, then click and drag the map to focus on a different area. Click the house icon to return to the original map span.

The dark blue areas indicate highly densely populated and constructed areas (referred to as high-density areas) within FEMA flood plains, the light blue areas indicate medium densely populated and constructed areas (medium density areas) within FEMA flood plains, and the transparent blue areas represent the FEMA floodplains themselves. The highlighted red roads are high-risk roads that fall within FEMA floodplains, and the yellow highlighted roads are road segments that fall within 25 feet of a FEMA floodplain. Dark blue circles indicate culverts that fall within FEMA flood zones, white circles indicate culverts that fall within 25 feet of a FEMA flood zone, and small pink circles indicate culverts at least 25 feet outside of a FEMA flood zone.

Data sources: the flood zone data comes from FEMA, the roads and culvert locations come from MDOT, and the density data comes from the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics consortium.

Wastewater Treatment Plants

The maps below show all wastewater treatment plants in the MCOG region and their relative position to 100-year floodplains of FEMA maps (dark blue area). Plants are labeled according to their labels on Google Maps.

Many of the plants in coastal communities are situated near the coastline. Wiscasset and Rockland wastewater treatment plants are especially vulnerable to flooding. Bath and Camden plants are near the floodplains but not within. The Brunswick, Great Salt Bay, Waldoboro, and Warren treatment plants are comparatively lower risk plants.

Working Waterfronts

Much of the culture and economy of the MCOG region is based on the maritime industry. The maps below show the ports with the number of harvesters in each port on the left and the total value of catch on the right. The labels indicate the name of the port, as per the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). DMR defines a harvester as "a licensed person who removes marine organisms (plants or animals) from the marine environment for personal or commercial use." Note that the fishing industry is often informal and therefore difficult data to collect. DMR is also subject to confidentiality laws, so there be missing data in any of the datapoints.

Looking more closely at data from the ports above, we can get a deeper look at the trends. The following graphs break down the data into LMA. The Brunswick LMA includes the ports of Brunswick, Harpswell, West Bath, Sebasco, Bailey Island, Bath, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Small Point, and Wiscasset. The Boothbay Harbor LMA includes the ports of Edgecomb, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport. The Waldoboro LMA includes Damariscotta, South Bristol, New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bremen, Waldoboro, and Friendship. The Rockland-Camden LMA includes Cushing, Port Clyde, Tenants Harbor, Spruce Head, St. George, South Thomaston, Owls Head, Rockland, Thomaston, Warren, Rockport, Camden, Lincolnville, North Haven, and Vinalhaven. The Belfast LMA includes Belfast, Islesboro, Searsport, and Stockton Springs.

Lobstering

Lobster fishing has dominated the marine harvesting industry across all LMA's. (Note that in this story map, LMA refers to Labor Market Area and not Lobster Management Area as it might in some other working waterfront contexts). For that reason, this story map separates lobster catch from other species catch. The graph on the left shows the number of harvesters in the lobstering industry, while the graph on the right shows the value of lobster catch over time.

The Rockland-Camden LMA has by far the biggest catch and most number of harvesters compared to other LMA's, followed by the Waldoboro and Brunswick LMA's. It is important to note that the Brunswick LMA includes Harpswell which hosts the lobstering ports in the area. Lobstermen who live in Brunswick and moor/dock boats in Brunswick therefore use the ports in Portland or Harpswell, specifically Cundy's Harbor. This goes to show the regional importance of some ports.

Value of Catch Over Time

The graphs below show the value of catch by species from 2013-2022. Some species are condensed, e.g. clams and oysters, and that is reflected in the legends of each graph. The graphs below do not include lobster catch, which is discussed later in this story map.

The Brunswick LMA working waterfronts focus on clamming, and in more recent years have seen a rise in oyster catch and finfish catch to a lesser extent. Bloodworms also make up a notable portion of the catch with elvers being a smaller component of the Brunswick LMA marine catch. In the Boothbay Harbor LMA, finfish have dominated the industry since 2018, trailed by clams and elvers. Similar to the Brunswick LMA, oysters have been a significant percentage of the value in recent years.

From 2013 to 2020, the Waldoboro LMA has no leading species in terms of value. Oyster, elver, and clams all brought in roughly similar value, followed by finfish. In 2020, the value of oysters spiked in the Waldoboro LMA, similar to the Brunswick and Boothbay Harbor LMA's. In the Rockland-Camden LMA, finfish have dominated the industry but less so after 2019. Other species like elver and softshell clams have also contributed, followed by scallop, crab, bloodworms, and oysters.

The Belfast LMA marine catch is mostly dominated by the elver industry, followed by finfish (Atlantic Menhaden). Clams, bloodworms, and crabs made up a small part of the marine harvesting industry from 2013-2016, but have not been a player since.

Vessel Transit Counts

Below are maps of vessel transit paths for various vessel types. The darker the color, the greater number of vessel counts in that area. Scroll through to see the different types of vessel counts throughout the MCOG region. Data is from Northeast Ocean Data and is collected using annual automatic identification system (AIS) of vessels in 2022. This data shows the importance of our working waterfronts--not only for fisheries but for all types of maritime activities.

Lake Assets

The map below shows lakes ranked by risk level of algal blooms. Boat launches are also shown, because boats can spread invasive species that contribute to eutrophication and blooms.

Lastly, the ocean is not the MCOG region's only waterfront asset. Lakes also offer recreation and livelihood benefits to Mainers and tourists. Yet, lakes are vulnerable to their own challenges, such as algal blooms and invasive species. The water body at the highest risk is a marshy area south of Cobboseecontee Stream in Richmond. Other high risk ponds include Sewell Pond in Arrowsic and Clark Cove Pond in South Bristol. Other waterbodies at medium levels of risk cluster around Knox and Lincoln Counties.

There are many lakes and ponds in the MCOG region not currently at risk of algal blooms. Our lakes are a huge asset and worth continuing to protect.

The Belfast LMA marine catch is mostly dominated by the elver industry, followed by finfish (Atlantic Menhaden). Clams, bloodworms, and crabs made up a small part of the marine harvesting industry from 2013-2016, but have not been a player since.