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I was at a park along the Penobscot River in Old Town on Thursday when a truck pulled up, towing a large cylinder with a spout. It backed down the boat launch as I ran up to ask what was happening. The technician with Brookfield explained that he was rerouting alewives around a dam. He emptied about 900 of the sea-run fish in less than a minute, and they disappeared into the dark water.
Alewives are a sign of spring in Maine as they return in large numbers every year from April to late May, seeking fresh water for spawning. Both small streams and big rivers such as the Penobscot and Kennebec have alewife runs, and I felt lucky to catch a glimpse of the fish on their journey. They are essential food for many other creatures and help boost the river’s entire ecosystem.
Our new environment reporter, Delger Erdenesanaa, was focused this week on an issue central to the health of the Penobscot River: the proposed expansion of the Juniper Ridge landfill nearby. It sends its leachate — the water that mixes with whatever is in the landfill, including PFAS — to a wastewater treatment plant that then discharges its wastewater into the Penobscot River.
What would a 61-acre landfill expansion mean? Delger learned how nearly all of the state’s sludge — which can no longer be spread on fields — now goes to Juniper Ridge, shifting PFAS pollution from farmland to the Penobscot River.
And election season is well underway. You’ll be glad you read two stories by Matt Junker, our elections reporter, who found that nearly 40 percent of signature gatherers for Maine’s transgender athlete ballot question were from out of state. He also wrote up a detailed explanation about how Maine’s citizen initiative process works.
As always, thank you for reading.
— Erin
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