Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 November 16, 2001 f

Brunswick voters approve Question 1
NOAH LONG
CONTRIBUTOR

The sun sets off of scenic Mere Point in Brunswick. The recently-passed Coastal Protection Amendment aims to protect local bays like these from harmful sceptic tank runoff. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient)

Brunswick voters recently upheld the Coastal Protection Zone Amendment by a narrow margin. The vote, which was held on November 6, passed by 2,241 to 1,851 votes and will be responsible for several changes in the town's zoning regulations. The amendment was approved by the town council in a 6-3 vote, but required a local referendum to become law. The regulatory adjustment took effect immediately upon passage.

The amendment extends the pre-existing Coastal Protection Zone from Pleasant Hill Road to Route One South of Brunswick. The enlarged Protection Zone will require all new structures to be built on lots greater than 3.5 acres of "buildable land," which excludes bogs, swamps and other areas that may be a part of the lot. Previously the Coastal Protection only required 2 acres of land for a structure to be built.

The purpose of the regulatory adjustment was to protect Maquoit and Middle Bays from water pollution resulting from septic tank runoff into the water table. Concern for these bays began when an algal bloom caused a major die off, from which the bay has been recovering for over ten years. While the last die off seems to have been caused by off shore nutrients, recent studies of the bays have lead many to worry that they are particularly susceptible to nutrient pollution (from septic runoff), because of a shallow aerobic layer in the mud flats.

All homes in the newly expanded Coastal Protection Zone are on septic tanks, because of the limitations of the town sewer system. The regulation will limit the number of new homes built in the area, and thereby limit the number of septic tanks that will drain into the water tables of Maquoit and Middle Bays.

The regulatory adjustment met with considerable controversy. Residents of the area included in the expanded Coastal Protection Zone, as well as others within the community opposed the amendment. The primary objection to the amendment was that it infringed the property rights of landowners by disallowing some subdivisions of property. Both sides took out local television and radio advertisements, and signs were posted in front of homes on both sides of the issue throughout the town.

The debate on Question One spread to the Bowdoin Campus when Professor Potholm asked students in his Maine Politics class to put up signs in opposition to the amendment. In response, the Bowdoin Evergreens supported the amendment and worked to register students to vote, as well as disseminate information about the issue on campus.