FBE has worked with the Town of Ogunquit, ME and the Ogunquit Conservation Commission to help track sources of fecal indicator bacteria to the pathogen-impaired Ogunquit River. Source tracking has included watershed-wide sampling of the Ogunquit River and its tributaries during both wet and dry weather conditions for Enterococci, as well as canine scent detection to identify sites with human waste present. FBE updated the watershed management plan in 2013 and helped secure funding for three phases of 319 implementation work from 2014 to present. In 2014, under the Ogunquit River Watershed Restoration Project Phase I grant funded by the Maine DEP and USEPA, FBE developed a State-approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Ogunquit River Watershed-Scale Bacteria Monitoring, dated June 18, 2014. Phase I included installation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) on commercial, residential, and municipal properties, technical assistance visits to residential properties, smoke testing and updating of the septic/sewer database, and targeted public outreach. Phase II included installation of BMPs at the Main Beach parking lot and targeted public outreach that included door-to-door education and flyer distribution, mailings, catch basin stenciling, and pet waste signage installation. FBE is working with the Town to start work on the Phase III grant to begin further BMP construction in 2020 and beyond.
