Falmouth Strategic Watershed Plan

Highland Lake

Watershed health is becoming an increasingly important indicator for a community’s health. In January 2019, Falmouth was awarded a Maine Coastal Community Grant to assess the needs of and prioritize actions for all Town watersheds. Given the importance of this initiative on a regional scale (it is the first project to evaluate watersheds on a town-wide scale), Falmouth applied for a grant in partnership with GPCOG, and hired Attaining: Sustainable Solutions to develop the technical portion of this project and assemble all available Falmouth watershed data. 

The Falmouth Strategic Watershed Plan tasks included:
  • Developing watershed health assessment framework for each watershed (referred to in the plan as Watershed Health Metrics),
  • Evaluating the current municipal-wide watershed health conditions,
  • Prioritizing the needs of each watershed, and
  • Providing prioritized recommendations on actions and resources needed to protect the health of each watershed.

The draft plan was completed by Attaining in September 2021, reviewed and summarized by Town staff and staff from the Maine DEP, and presented to Town Council on February 14, 2022. A public forum is being held on March 23, 2022 as an opportunity for Falmouth residents to learn more about the plan, town-wide watershed health, and the recommendations to protect, improve, and restore watershed health in the years to come. A Town Council vote on the plan is anticipated in April 2022.

Stormwater Management

The Town of Falmouth prepares and implements a 5-year permit and plan to protect stormwater from becoming polluted. Every year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection requires that the Town report their progress in implementing the plan, and update the plan to better protect stormwater.

For more information on the Town's Stormwater Managment program, follow this link. 

Shoreline Runoff Management

During heavy precipitation events, stormwater runoff along the shoreline can cause erosion and damage your property. It also can lead to pollutants entering Town waterbodies. To reduce harmful runoff, the Conservation Commission has developed a flier outlining best practices to help residents protect their properties and waterbodies. Read the How to Effectively Manage and Maintain your Shoreline Property Informational Flier