Maine DEP to test marine spill response on Penobscot River

August 9, 2019

Contact: David Madore, Communications Director (207) 287-5842 david.madore@maine.gov

AUGUSTA, August 9, 2019 - Emergency Response personnel from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a boom deployment exercise on the Penobscot River on Thursday, August 15, 2019 in Brewer.

The training exercise will take place at the public boat launch located on North Main Street in Brewer beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday and continuing until 3PM in the afternoon. The purpose of this exercise is to test the feasibility of emergency response strategies in the event of a marine oil spill in the river.

Maine has a total of 249 protection strategies designed for environmentally sensitive areas from Kittery to Calais, and the DEP has an active program to review and test these strategies to ensure natural resources are most effectively protected.

The North Main Street boat launch will be closed to the public for safety reasons and members of the public should seek an alternative site for boat launching and other recreational activities through the duration of this training exercise.