Blue Hill Bay Monitoring Project in Blue Hill, Hancock County, United States | Marine Services

Welcome to the Blue Hill Bay Monitoring Project, Blue Hill, Maine, United States. The Blue Hill Bay Monitoring Project was created in 2004 in order to generate baseline data for these previously unstudied areas in the hopes that the data will be used as a guide for future monitoring and ecosystem-based resource management in the region. The data gathered is used to verify water quality standards, identify sources of pollution, and increase awareness of the need for sustainable watershed management. This project was initiated with the help of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Town of Blue Hill, environmental organizations, and community volunteers to establish a long term scientific assessment of water quality in and around Blue Hill Bay, Maine.
While many sites within the watershed remain in relatively good health, a few locations continue to exhibit signs of distress from low dissolved oxygen. One site at the upper portion of Carleton Stream which flows between Third and Fourth Ponds is heavily inhabited by beavers resulting in dams that clog this waterway. A large dam was removed after a request from the Town, resulting in better flow between the ponds. Although still low, the dam removal improved oxygen levels at this site.
Excessive nutrients and elevated bacteria continue to be detected in our newest area of concern, Little Peters Brook. This site was extensively monitored during the 2008 season but the source of its pollution remains unknown. Monitoring Little Peters Brook highlights the challenge of locating non-point and point source pollution in the watershed.