Brewer official lauded for river cleanup

BREWER – Ken Locke, the city’s environmental services director, has worked hard to teach residents about how to protect the Penobscot River and other local waterways from polluted storm water runoff from their lawns and driveways.

He has spearheaded a riverside cleanup effort, which has spread over the years to include seven other area communities, and has taken literally tons of trash from local river and stream banks.

To recognize his efforts, state leaders in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection selected Locke to receive the first Steve Ranney Award for Stormwater Management Excellence.

“Mr. Locke was selected … because he has developed the most innovative and effective program in the state,” a DEP press release states. “Addressing storm water is essential to clean water because polluted storm water runoff from our lawns, driveways, parking lots and municipal activities is the greatest source of pollution for Maine’s waterways.”

Locke was surprised by the award at a storm water management roundtable discussion in Augusta on Wednesday. His 15th anniversary of working for the city is Friday.

“We are extremely proud of Ken,” City Manager Steve Bost said Wednesday. “He is the consummate professional who has established himself as a leader in this field, not only in Brewer, but across the state.”

Bost said he is not at all surprised by Locke’s award. In addition to being the city’s environmental services director, Locke is the director of the Brewer Water Pollution Control facility and is the storm water coordinator.

There are numerous examples of where Locke has taught others about keeping the environment and waterways clean. He leads annual educational tours of the sewage treatment plant and along the riverbank, and he is involved in educating residents and youth groups through the Think Blue Maine program. It’s through his association with the Bangor Area Storm Water Group that the riverside cleanup has expanded over the last couple of years to include seven communities and hundreds of people.

The Stormwater Management Excellence Award is named after the late Steve Ranney, who was Lewiston’s city engineer and storm water manager. At that post, he developed an outstanding storm water program and inspired staff to continue his efforts when he became too ill to continue, the DEP press release states.

Locke has “been able to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship between disposal of items [trash] and the impact on the environment,” Bost said. “That’s also part of his rubber duck program as well.”

The Think Blue Maine program uses yellow rubber ducks to symbolize pollutants, such as pet waste, oil drips and fertilizers, that travel from people’s yards to the river. By canvassing the city and the area communities of Bangor and Orono, these ducks can be seen at roadway catch basins.

The words “Keep water clean” and “Drains to river” surround the ducks, which are the official mascot of Think Blue Maine, which falls under DEP and sponsors educational TV commercials and a Web site, www.thinkbluemaine.org, aimed at teaching people how to keep Maine water clean.

“He’s excelling on many fronts, and we’re very proud of Ken and his work,” Bost said.