MAINE MONITOR • April 30, 2023
We have 10 watershed regions, containing hundreds of lakes, rivers and streams, according to Maine Rivers, which reports that the Penobscot is the second-largest watershed in all of New England, and 25% of the state’s population lives in the Casco Bay watershed. In a changing climate, both extremes—flooding and drought—are an increasing risk, even for places like the Northeast that have traditionally felt very secure in their water supplies. Maine has seen coastal flooding and washed-out culverts in rainstorms at the same time as it’s endured extreme short-term droughts in recent years. Experts say resilience means being ready to endure either threat — and working to tackle the hazards facing our watersheds holistically, rather than in siloes.