Water Diversions and Withdrawals Can Severely Alter the Natural Timing and Quantity of Stream Flow

• Flows affect the health of aquatic systems and resources. Flowing water provides spawning and rearing habitat, eventually transporting food and young fish.
• Fish feed on insects drifting in the current. Small mammals eat the fish. If water dries up, animals die all the way up along the food chain.

Water Diversions Can Also Affect Water Quality

• With less water volume, water temperatures can increase, dissolved oxygen levels can drop, and pollution can reach dangerous concentrations.
• A sufficient lowering of stream flow could destroy all its designated uses, be it drinking water, habitat, recreation, navigation, or fishing.
• Flows in a stream are a “zero sum game”. There is only a finite amount of water available at any given moment. If it is being used for one thing, it generally cannot be used for another.

Adequate Water Flow Preserves Rivers for Those Who Boat, Fish, and Hunt

• Thousands of people each year enjoy our rivers for canoeing and boating. If adequate flow is not protected, this popular form of recreation – and the businesses associated with it – is threatened.
• Many people hunt and fish for recreation providing important revenue for rural communities. When a river dries up, not just the fish but also the animals who depend on wetlands – such as ducks – go to different areas. When the animals leave, so do critical tourist dollars.
• When large-scale users are taking most of the water, small farmers may find that there is little water left for them. Failing farms further hurt local economies.
• Adequate and clean water supplies are critical for a good quality of life, which is also an essential recruitment tool for economic development.

For bill text regarding minimum stream flow requirements, please see SERC’s “Minimum Stream Flow” Policy Issues Package.

Materials from the Natural Resources Council of Maine were used in the preparation of this section.