Southern Aroostook County Success Stories
(Houlton Field Office)

An Environmental Protection Agency Watershed Initiative Grant of $700,000 was recently awarded for projects in the Meduxnekeag River Watershed.  The grant will be used by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Town of Houlton, and the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District, to improve water quality in the Meduxnekeag River Watershed, a tributary of the St. John River.  The grant is among nearly $15 million of grants to twenty watershed organizations across the county as part of the agency’s new Watershed Initiative, and is one of three awarded in New England.  The Houlton Field Office provided assistance in the writing of the grant application by providing cost share and budget data, and reviewing the application prior to finalization.

Selected from among more than 176 nominations, the Houlton Band will use the funds for two major projects in the watershed.  The first project will reduce soil erosion and improve water quality by providing information and funding for farmers in the watershed to adopt winter cover crops and mulching on harvested potato fields.  The second project will search for and correct sewer connections in the Town of Houlton that may be leaking raw sewage into the river.

“The Meduxnekeag is very important to the tribe and to the community,” said Tony Tomah, natural resources director for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.  “This grant is going to help us and our partners make real improvements that will benefit the whole watershed.”

The Natural Resources Conservation Service will assist grant sponsors in providing technical assistance to land owners/operators to plan and implement land treatment practices.