Long Creek, South Portland
Affiliated Organizations
Long Creek is an urban stream system with four primary branches that flow through the Maine Mall commercial-retail district. The streams converge near Clark’s Pond before heading to the Fore River, Porlland Harbor and finally Casco Bay.
Affiliated Organizations: Long Creek Watershed Management District; Maine Department of Environmental Protection; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Cities of Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and Town of Scarborough. John Field.
Project Details
The development of the Maine Mall area in the late 1960’s impaired the creek’s health significantly. Lack of storm water control led to significant erosion damage. Metals, chloride, phosphorus, nitrogen and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have polluted the stream due to uncontrolled runoff from the many parking lots of the area. The creek’s water temperature was above normal and the level of reduced dissolved oxygen prevent any fish from surviving.
Linkel Environmental Construction placed large stones in washed out areas to prevent further erosion. Our team moved a misplaced earth berm that inadvertently caused erosion and built in-stream structures to slow down the creek’s water speed. This will make the stream more inviting for fish and wildlife.
We also planted hemlock trees into the creek bed. The purpose was to create rot-resistant rootwads to slow down the water flow and promote pooling, add more oxygen to the water and retain organic matter and nutrients. The creek is now more attractive to cool-water fish and insects.