Birch Stream scouring gets city, Guard officials involved

BANGOR – After nearly 40 people scoured Birch Stream on Friday morning, hauling trash and debris from its soggy banks, the murky water cleared, flowing cleaner than it had just a few hours earlier.

City employees from public works, the airport, a city engineer and even a Bangor councilor joined efforts with the Bangor-based 101st Air Refueling Wing of the Maine Air National Guard, to pick up more than 2 tons of trash.

Among the variety of discarded items was an old dishwasher, washing machine, 15 automobile tires, a car muffler, two bicycles, a kitchen stove, a bed mattress, 22 large pieces of wood, approximately 100 bags of trash, and more than 60 shopping carts that were found lodged in the muddy banks of the stream.

“The thing is, you never know what you’re going to find out here,” Tech Sgt. Ed Pinkham said, his arms full of insulated wrapping paper that he hauled from a nearby forest.

Heavy equipment was brought in to lift the weighty materials, and the machinery made several trips up and down the banking to deliver the hunks of metal or wood to a loader that dumped the debris into waiting public works dump trucks. Three trucks sat behind the Airport Mall collecting tires, metal and bags of trash.

“The Birch Stream is in our watershed, and we should all take part in cleaning up our own backyard,” Lt. Col. Eric Johns said. “Our motto at the Guard is that this is our backyard too, and we’re hoping people get the idea we want to keep this place clean with good water quality.”

Birch Stream came into the public eye in 2003 when the Department of Environmental Protection began investigating the contamination of the stream by a de-icing agent that Bangor International Airport was using on military and commercial aircraft. Neighborhood residents of Griffin Park housing complex complained that the propylene glycol antifreeze used in the de-icer caused headaches and other ailments.

Since the contamination, both BIA and the Air Guard have installed a de-icer collection system, which both BIA and Air Guard officials say is working well.

“The stream quality is improving dramatically,” Tony Caruso, BIA assistant airport director and cleanup coordinator said Friday morning. “Once the containment system was installed, it improved, and we continue to do constant testing, as does the DEP.”

The cleanup crew met at 8 a.m. behind the mall to pick up their trash bags, gloves and drink and eat the much needed coffee and doughnuts to keep them going. During their four-hour cleanup, the crew hoped to cover 100 yards on both sides of the stream, from where it runs behind the mall to Ohio Street, Caruso said.

Many city employees traded in their office attire for their old jeans and sweat shirts, wading boots and heavy-duty gloves to help in the effort.

Even BIA Director Rebecca Hupp and City Councilor Peter D’Errico found themselves covered in mud after hiking back up the steep embankment to dispose of bags of trash they had gathered in the stream below.

“The city of Bangor takes pride in appearance. Like the old saying, the more attractive something is, the more it attracts,” D’Errico said. “I am so pleased to see the joint cooperation with the military and National Guard members.

“They’ve made a tremendous effort on the de-icing of aircraft and trash,” he said.