{"id":549,"date":"2026-04-13T17:20:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549"},"modified":"2026-04-13T17:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:20:54","slug":"episode-3-ripples-in-time-histories-of-the-saco-river-pollution-and-river-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/2026\/04\/13\/episode-3-ripples-in-time-histories-of-the-saco-river-pollution-and-river-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The students in Environmental History of New England: Saco River Edition produced a 3-part podcast series. This third episode deals with river history and pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This episode was created by: Jamison Saunders, Dani Darch, Maxwell Cajdric, Camden Chierichella, Zoe Lambke, Brady Spring, and Connor Boisvert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is available at: https:\/\/share.transistor.fm\/s\/60b0d8d7<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We would very much like to thank Broad Reach Adventures<\/a>(https:\/\/broadreachadventures.com\/)<\/a> for their hospitality and for helping us complete the archaeological portion of this course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very big thank you to Keith Landry for permission to use his music. You’ll find our theme music, “Into the Light (This Lazy River), on Keith’s Alonetone site. The full album is available at: https:\/\/alonetone.com\/keithlandryacoustic\/playlists\/saco-river-pirate\/into-the-light-this-lazy-river<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a huge thanks to Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse (https:\/\/woodislandlighthouse.org\/)<\/a> for showing us around the lighthouse. It’s an amazing spot and the tour is utterly fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baum, E. (1997). Maine Atlantic Salmon: A National Treasure. Hermon, ME: Atlantic Salmon Unlimited. 224 p.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bouv\u00e9, E.W. Plan of Lands of Saco Water Power Co. at Saco & Biddeford, ME 1846. 1846. Map F157. Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danforth, R. Fire at Marblehead Boatyard, Biddeford, 1965. May 4, 1965. MMN #31103. MacArthur Public Library, Biddeford, York County, Maine. December 3, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyer Library \/ Saco Museum Collection. Salmon Falls Dam (Photograph). c. 1900. Local Code 40; Main Memory Network Item #22681. Saco Museum, Saco, York County, Maine. Accessed November 10, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Saco and Biddeford, George Folsom. Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelley, J.T., Barber, D.C., Belknap, D.F., FitzGerald, D.M., van Heteren, S., & Dickson, S.M. (2005). Sand budgets at geological, historical and contemporary time scales for a developed beach system, Saco Bay, Maine, USA. Marine Geology, 214(1-3), 117-142. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.margeo.2004.10.027<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MERC Trash Plant folder, 1970-2009, McArthur Public Library, Newspapers (Misc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. (2024). Atlantic Salmon: Protected. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.fisheries.noaa.gov\/species\/atlantic-salmon\/protected<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nieland, J. L., Sheehan, T. F., & Saunders, R. (2015). Assessing demographic effects of dams on diadromous fish: a case study for Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River, Maine. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 72(8), 2423-2437. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/icesjms\/fsv083<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saco River Folder Archive, Saco Falls and Mill Dams, Biddeford-Saco (Photograph). 1912. McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, York County, Maine. Accessed November 5, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saco Water Power Company. Engineering Notebook #1. 1848. McArthur Public Library Collection; Internet Archive Digital Repository. Accessed November 7, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Biddeford, York County, Maine, Sheet 1. 1885. Library of Congress, Digital Sanborn Maps Collection, Washington D.C. Accessed November 5, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Village of Biddeford Maine 1835-1860. 1860. McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, York County, Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walling, H.F. Map of the Villages of Saco and Biddeford York County, Maine. 1851. Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laws, Carl H. The Saco River Corridor The View from the Valley. Saco River Advisory Committee. MSD 0028\/April, 1973, 33828. McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, York County, Maine. Accessed Oct 29, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woodlot Alternatives, Inc, 54 Cumberland Street Brunswick, Maine 040111. An Analysis Of Potential Impacts To Wetlands, Wildlife, And Visual\/Aesthetic Resources (A Component of The) Spring\/Bradbury Alternative Fish Passage Study Cataract Hydropower Project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saco River, Maine. Central Maine Power Company Environmental & Licensing Department, Edison Drive Augusta, Maine 04336. Nov, 1992. McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, York County, Maine. Accessed Nov 12, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The students in Environmental History of New England: Saco River Edition produced a 3-part podcast series. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEpisode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The students in Environmental History of New England: Saco River Edition produced a 3-part podcast series. …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Journeys into the Past at UNE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ezuelow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ezuelow\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ezuelow\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/person\/ee340b0ada24afa60068dc8f1d15650c\"},\"headline\":\"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\"},\"wordCount\":558,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\",\"name\":\"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/\",\"name\":\"Journeys into the Past at UNE\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Journeys into the Past at UNE\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2024\/09\/BIddeford-1856-clearer.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2024\/09\/BIddeford-1856-clearer.jpg\",\"width\":1860,\"height\":1454,\"caption\":\"Journeys into the Past at UNE\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/person\/ee340b0ada24afa60068dc8f1d15650c\",\"name\":\"ezuelow\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ezuelow\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/author\/unepast\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE","og_description":"The students in Environmental History of New England: Saco River Edition produced a 3-part podcast series. …","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549","og_site_name":"Journeys into the Past at UNE","article_published_time":"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00","author":"ezuelow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ezuelow","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549"},"author":{"name":"ezuelow","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/person\/ee340b0ada24afa60068dc8f1d15650c"},"headline":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History)","datePublished":"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549"},"wordCount":558,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549","url":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549","name":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History) - Journeys into the Past at UNE","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-13T17:20:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-13T17:20:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?p=549#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Episode 3: Ripples in Time: Histories of the Saco River (Pollution and River History)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/","name":"Journeys into the Past at UNE","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#organization","name":"Journeys into the Past at UNE","url":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2024\/09\/BIddeford-1856-clearer.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2024\/09\/BIddeford-1856-clearer.jpg","width":1860,"height":1454,"caption":"Journeys into the Past at UNE"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/#\/schema\/person\/ee340b0ada24afa60068dc8f1d15650c","name":"ezuelow","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33abe4223c4a207246d74ca3a9cadf7faf5f8884588fa330f637c3be3af7e5bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ezuelow"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/author\/unepast\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":550,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions\/550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.une.edu\/unepast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}