Section 320 of the CWA authorizes the administrator of the EPA to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance…

This $1,700,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the National Estuary Program (CFDA 66.456) supports the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership in implementing their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the Casco Bay estuary in Maine. The grant funding will enable a range of activities to protect, restore, and enhance key habitats, address water quality impacts, engage communities, and strengthen regional collaboration to benefit the Casco Bay ecosystem and watershed. Key products and services to be delivered include continuous water quality monitoring in Casco Bay led by Friends of Casco Bay, sponsorship of the biennial Maine Stormwater Conference, and provision of small grants to schools and community groups for projects engaging the public with the bay. The award period is from Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2027.

Section 320 of the CWA authorizes the administrator of the EPA to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance that are threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. The agreement provides funding to the casco BAY estuary partnership through the university of maine system for national estuary program (NEP) to support implementation of the NEP comprehensive conservation and management plan (CCMP) and EPA strategic plan goal 5: ensure clean and safe water for all communities and objective 5.2: - protect and restore waterbodies and watersheds to improve the water quality, protect the natural habitat and living resources, and support sustainable human uses in the estuary. Workplan goals include: protect, restore, and enhance the key habitats that sustain ecosystem health of casco BAY and its watershed for now and the future; address the cumulative water quality impacts of human activity in the casco BAY watershed; engage communities and provide information and tools to support decisions to protect and restore casco BAY; and mobilize knowledge and resources to support regional collaboration and action on behalf of casco BAY, the watershed, and our communities.activities:the projects included will support activities that address the key challenges facing the estuary including assessing trends in water quality, habitats, natural resources and uses; coordinating implementation of the CCMP by the NEP, along with the state, federal, local agencies, stakeholders, ngos, citizens, partners, and others; and monitoring the effectiveness of activities conducted under the management conference approved CCMP and annual workplan. Specific planned activities include: strengthen coordination and collaboration to protect and restore resilience of casco BAY tidal wetlands; support regional and state conversations about eelgrass declines and restoration methods; continue efforts to ensure benefits of cbep programs reach a wider range of community members, especially underserved communities; expand support for community efforts to address water quality and community resilience challenges; and strengthen the casco BAY monitoring network and expand long-term monitoring of casco BAY and the casco BAY watershed.subrecipient:- continuous water quality monitoring in casco BAY, led by friends of casco BAY - sponsor the biennial maine stormwater conference, led by cumberland county soil and water conservation district - provide partial funding to support educational, scientific and public events related to casco BAY (recipients TBT) - volunteer-based marine invasive species monitoring (MIMIC), led by wells national estuarine research reserve - provide small grants to schools and community groups to support projects that engage the community with the BAY, encourage active stewardship, develop education, or support citizen science (recipients TBT) - strengthen the ability of the casco BAY regional shellfish working group to support the ecological and economic health of wild shellfish fisheries in casco BAY - freshwater monitoring and alewife tracking, led by presumpscot regional land trust outcomes:primary deliverable will be a completed casco BAY regional ocean model. The expected outcomes include habitat protected and restored, water quality improvements, increased public access to natural areas, data acquisition, and provision of technical assistance to municipalities and other partners. The intended beneficiaries of this work include the casco BAY estuary itself, as well as the constituents who reside within the casco BAY estuary partnership planning area, and all others who recreate there.