Portland Clean Water Week Events
How to Build a Rain Garden or 32
HOSTED BY: City of Portland
WHERE: Meet at the Rowe Elementary School parking lot, 23 Orono Road
WHEN: June 3 @ 4:00pm
Please Note:
This event is free and open to the public. Registration required.
In case of heavy rain, wind, or thunder we will cancel this event and notify registrants via email.
This event requires approximately one mile of walking with breaks built in. You can expect to need to stand for at least an hour.
Please join us to learn the key components for building a rain garden, as demonstrated through a comprehensive green stormwater infrastructure improvement project at Sagamore Village to treat 22 acres of developed watershed while also providing ancillary benefits such as streetscape beautification and traffic calming. This tour will have some helpful information for everyone, from private homeowners to industry professionals!
Children’s Story Time
HOSTED BY: Portland Public Library
WHERE: Main Branch, 5 Monument Square
WHEN: June 4, 10:30am
Join staff at the Portland Public Library for a kids’ story time with a Clean Water theme! Staff will read a couple of water-themed books to the kiddos and may even lead the group in some songs about water. Be sure to grab a free Clean Water Week bookmark (available at most PPL locations).
Riverton Trolley Park Clean Up
HOSTED BY: Portland Parks Conservancy
WHERE: Riverton Trolley Park, 822 Riverside Street
WHEN: June 4 @ 1:00pm
The Portland Parks Conservancy and IDEXX have joined forces to clean up the banks of the Presumpscot River! The Children’s Museum & Theater of Maine have donated free passes to the first 20 volunteers to sign up! Volunteers are also entered to win a Portland Water District rain barrel!
We challenge you to Pledge to become a Greener Neighbor!
When it rains or snow melts, runoff can carry pollutants such as dog waste, lawn chemicals, soil, and more off of our property and into nearby storm drains. Everyone’s yard runoff combines when our storm drains empty into our local waterways, without being cleaned or treated first. A Greener Neighbor is anyone committed to take action, no matter how big or small, to reduce the amount of pollution that may wash off their property.
What is SeeClickFix?!?
SeeClickFix is a request and work management app which helps to bridge the communication gap between residents and local governments to report non-emergency issues. The digital communications system is a company that was founded and based in New Haven, Connecticut. A few examples would be a pothole in the roadway or a street light that is out.
Another way one can help is to check out their catch basin near their own home and make sure that it is clear. The purpose of the catch basin is to filter out any debris such as leaves, trash, and dirt. You can always report a clogged catch basin to SeeClickFix.
Kids’ Activity – Watershed Model
HOSTED BY: Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine
WHERE: Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, 250 Thompson’s Point Road
WHEN: June 7, 9:30 – 11:30AM
Join our partners at the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Children’s Museum & Theater of Maine to celebrate World Ocean Day and Clean Water Week by using a hands-on watershed model to see how water from your street connects the ocean where fishes eat.
Waterfront Walking Tour
HOSTED BY: Ivy Frignoca, Casco Baykeeper with the Friends of Casco Bay
WHERE: Meet at Portland Ocean Gateway, 14 Ocean Gateway Pier
WHEN: June 7 @ 4:00PM
Please Note:
This event is free and open to the public. Registration Required.
We will have a limited number of free parking spaces available to registered participants on a first come first serve basis beginning at 3:00PM at Ocean Gateway Parking Lot.
This event requires approximately one mile of walking with breaks built in. You can expect to need to stand for at least an hour.
In case of heavy rain, wind, or thunder we will cancel this event and notify registrants via email.
Are you curious about how the City of Portland and Friends of Casco Bay are working to keep stormwater pollution — all the pesticides, fertilizers, road salts, and other junk that stormwater carries — out of the Bay? Join us on Commercial Street to get up close to where the stormwater meets the sea. Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Portland’s Stormwater Program Coordinator Doug Roncarati will guide the Stormwater Stroll, point out features such as stormwater outfalls and combined sewer overflow pipes, and share insights on the process, challenges, and improvements.
Thank you to everyone who participated in a Clean Water Week event with us! We hope you'll continue to protect our water year-round so we can all enjoy safe and healthy water for years to come.
These amazing activities wouldn't be possible without the help of our partners in clean water protection: City of Portland, Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, Friends of Casco Bay, Idexx, Portland Parks Conservancy, Portland Public Library, and Portland Water District!