Truslow RC designed and implemented a preliminary tidal and water quality survey for FB Environmental at Barter’s Creek, a tributary to Spruce Creek in Kittery Point, Maine. The project was completed on behalf of the Town of Kittery and the Spruce Creek Association to evaluate the feasibility of improving tidal connection on the creek.
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A causeway equipped with a small granite culvert has impounded a portion of the creek for over 100 years. The culvert is undersized and perched and does not permit complete connection with the upstream area. The tidal and water quality survey, completed with equipment that collected continuous water level and water quality loggers, established that there is a 3.5-hour lag in tidal maximum between the impoundment and tidal creek. Overall water level change is less than 3 feet in the pond and over 12 feet in the tidal creek. In addition, due to the incomplete exchange of water between the seaward and landward sides of the creek, dissolved oxygen and water temperature do not fully benefit from the regular tidal turnover.
Client/Collaborators
- Spruce Creek Watershed Association, Kittery, Maine
- F.B. Environmental Inc.
Services Provided
- Hydrology, Geomorphology, & Restoration
- Groundwater and Surface Water Quality Sampling