NOAA Recommends Funding to Support Improved Flood Mitigation, Water Quality, Drinking Water and Septic Infrastructure in Columbia and Addison

Addison - A project planned by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Department of Transportation, and Downeast Salmon Federation that will support flood mitigation, restore water quality, and improve drinking and septic infrastructure on the West Branch of the Pleasant River has been recommended for funding by NOAA.

The funding, totaling $9 million, comes from NOAA's Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants program under President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

The work will focus on improvements to the Addison Road in Columbia where it crosses Bells Brook, a tributary of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Currently the Addison Road crossing experiences significant roadway flooding, and the Maine Department of Transportation has rated the crossing as "Critical" for replacement.

"Roadway flooding is a major concern for the safety of the traveling public and left unaddressed the road would be closed and could be damaged during large storms like those we saw last winter," said Sean Ledwin, Director of the Maine Department of Marine Resources Searun Fisheries and Habitat Bureau.

The current crossing consists of two metal culverts with a combined opening width of approximately 12-feet which is vastly undersized based on sizing criteria from the CoastWise Approach, a set of science-based best practices for tidal crossings. Based on CoastWise sizing analysis, and in close consultation with the Maine Department of Transportation, a 70-foot-wide crossing structure is planned, with further refinement required as the design is finalized.

Work will not only involve replacement of the failing road crossing, but the road on either side of the crossing will be raised by six feet to address current and future flooding conditions. "Without road raising, low lying areas around the crossing will continue to flood, even with a wider opening at the crossing," said Ledwin.

Because the West Branch and Bells Brook are both subject to tidal influences, the project will also support the relocation of wells and septic systems that may be impacted now or in the future by saltwater intrusion or other factors. This work would be conducted by the Downeast Salmon Federation and will also benefit the health downstream habitats that support municipal intertidal shellfish resources.

"There are many benefits to this project," said Ledwin.

In addition to flood mitigation and improved public safety, the rebuilt crossing will allow for future upstream passage and increased nursey habitats for recreationally and commercially valuable fish species such as rainbow smelt, American lobster, groundfish, sturgeon, and shellfish.

"While this project individually does not restore passage or tidal flow, it is being constructed in a way that will allow for future fisheries and tidal salt marsh restoration," said Ledwin.

"The road raising and increasing conveyance of water at this crossing will help provide a buffer from the increasing coastal storms we're experiencing by absorbing storm surge and preventing erosion and habitat loss," said Ledwin.

Work is scheduled to begin this fall and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027.