maine department of environmental protection

Officials in Kittery, Maine, have found elevated levels of industrial chemicals and arsenic in well water near the town’s landfill. The Portsmouth Herald reported Saturday that routine checks of test wells near the Kittery Resource Recovery Facility, known as the town dump or transfer station, by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection showed elevated contaminant levels at three well sites....

Maine’s statewide ban on single-use plastic bags will begin on July 1. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said it is working with retail stores and restaurants to make sure they are ready. The Maine Legislature passed the ban in 2019 and it was initially scheduled to go into effect in April 2020. The state delayed enforcement of the ban…

Maine is delaying by several months a statewide ban on single-use plastic carry-out bags that was scheduled to take effect in January. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said it’s delaying enforcement of the laws that ban the bags until July 1, 2021 — the measure was due to kick in on Jan. 15, 2021. The department said in a…

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says a third species of invasive plant has been discovered in a large lake in central Maine. The department says the plant is variable-leaved water-milfoil, and it was found recently in Cobbosseecontee Lake. Plant surveyors with Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed found the plant in Jug Stream, just downstream from the Annabessacook Lake dam….