Watersheds We Help Protect

Photo: Bradbury Spring

Bradbury Spring, Maine

Bradbury Spring is located in Kingfield, Maine, within the watershed of the West Branch of the Carrabassett River. The geologic conditions that support the Bradbury Spring site originated approximately 14,000 years ago when Maine was covered by continental glaciers. When the glaciers melted between 11,000 and 13,200 years ago, meltwater streams formed outwash deposits of gravel, sand, and silt. For approximately nine miles along the watershed below the southeast slope of Mt. Abraham, the West Branch flows over porous sand and gravel aquifer deposits that lie in the valley. The spring site is located on these glacial deposits, which are over 100 feet thick and have the potential to produce more than 50 gallons of water per minute. Approximately 36,700 acres of watershed drainage area is located upgradient from the spring site.

QUICK FACTS*
Conserved Acres: 717
Total Acres: 850
2023 Withdrawals (Mgal): 177.2
% of Annual Watershed Precipitation: 1%
Water Stress: Very Low

Figure 1: Maine’s Water Cycle

The valley aquifer deposits formed along the West Branch as a gently sloping fan-shaped topographic feature where the spring site is located. The land surface of the fan drops in elevation and intersects the water table, which is where the springs are located. Rain and snow that fall in the watershed recharge the aquifer and groundwater resource throughout most of the year. This natural cycle of water occurs throughout Maine and includes precipitation, runoff, infiltration to groundwater and evaporation/transpiration as illustrated in Figure 1.

DEFINITION OF A SPRING
A spring is the location where groundwater (water that exists beneath the earth’s surface) naturally emerges from the ground. BlueTriton withdraws water from boreholes at Bradbury Spring, intercepting a portion of the spring water that would otherwise naturally emerge from the ground. Groundwater naturally flows from west to east through the fan deposits present at the site. At the eastern edge of the fan deposit, the Bradbury Spring site contains active spring vents and diffuse spring seepage areas. From these natural features, groundwater merges into small streams and drainage channels that eventually flow into the West Branch southeast of the spring site.

WATER WITHDRAWALS AND SUSTAINABILITY
BlueTriton water withdrawals from Bradbury Spring are carefully regulated by permits from the Town of Kingfield and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In addition, BlueTriton has an agreement with the Kingfield Water District that requires BlueTriton to prevent any undue adverse effects on the quality and quantity of the District’s water resources. The permits and agreement were based on extensive scientific hydrologic and hydrogeologic investigations conducted at the site and contain conditions that allow water extraction subject to specific performance standards. As a result, the permits and agreement provide a safety factor to protect the aquifer and its associated natural resources for long term sustainability.

Based on the extensive watershed area and precipitation recharge, the 200 million gallons (MG) per year withdrawal permitted for the site by the DEP represents slightly more than 1 percent of the aquifer recharge in an average year and approximately 2 percent of recharge in a drought year. Since water withdrawals began in 2008 at Bradbury Spring, the annual utilization has been less than 1 percent of the groundwater recharge that has occurred within the regional watershed.1

SITE MONITORING

Water Supply
The Town and DEP permits require BlueTriton to monitor the influence of withdrawal activities at groundwater, spring and surface water monitoring stations located at the site. Independent hydrogeologists contracted by BlueTriton oversee monitoring of the groundwater system, spring flow and surface water bodies located in and around the Bradbury Spring site. In addition, BlueTriton continuously monitors extraction rates at the spring water boreholes and a downstream flow location to ensure that adequate stream flows are maintained. Monitoring wells located in the vicinity of nearby residential wells are also monitored for water level changes to verify that BlueTriton’s operations do not adversely affect groundwater at these neighboring sites. On-site biomonitoring of wetland and stream habitats was also conducted at the site over a five-year period after water withdrawals began.

BlueTriton submits monthly monitoring data and annual reports to the Town of Kingfield, the Kingfield Water District and the DEP, where it is publicly available, to document that there have been no adverse effects on local groundwater, surface water or natural resources in the lower West Branch watershed as a result of BlueTriton’s withdrawal.

RECENT MONITORING RESULTS
The following graphs summarize important measures of the health of the natural groundwater and surface water systems. The graph in Figure 2 depicts water levels typically observed in the Bradbury Spring Aquifer. The water levels in the aquifer naturally fluctuate by a few feet, depending on the season. Spring snow melt and fall rains typically increase recharge resulting in rising groundwater levels in the aquifer, while growth and uptake of water by plants in the summer usually decreases aquifer water levels, as does the lack of recharge during winter months when the ground is frozen. Total annual precipitation under normal climate conditions has averaged 45 to 46 inches. From 1995 to 2004, total annual precipitation was below average and from 2005 to 2010 it was above average with peak precipitation totals occurring in 2005 and 2008. From 2015 to 2021, the Bradbury Spring site experienced below normal precipitation which resulted in drier-than-normal hydrologic conditions. In 2022, annual precipitation was slightly above normal and in 2023 the total annual precipitation recorded in Kingfield was 63.69 inches, more than 14 inches above normal.

Consistent with the precipitation trends, groundwater levels were highest during the 2007 to 2010 period, receded by a few feet between 2011 and 2014, remained steady during the period of below-normal precipitation from 2015 to 2022, then rose during 2023 with the above-normal precipitation. Groundwater levels typically reach their annual low in the summer and were lowest in September 2016 following only 0.58 inches of precipitation in August 2016. The highest groundwater levels occurred in the spring of 2007, 2008 and 2019, following the spring snow melt and in December 2023, when more than 9 inches of rain was recorded in Kingfield. This demonstrates through each year of the Bradbury Spring hydrologic cycle that the site experiences a natural response to precipitation where the aquifer water levels fluctuate from year to year through dry and wet periods, which provide variable amounts of groundwater recharge into the site.

Figure 2: Groundwater Monitoring Data

Surface water features respond similarly to the natural hydrologic cycles, as shown in Figure 3. Typically, melting snow and spring rains lead to increased surface water flows. Hotter, drier summer weather, combined with the uptake of moisture by plants, reduces available surface water flows. The DEP has set minimum stream flow requirements for the convergence of surface waters that flow through BlueTriton’s monitoring location that is downstream from Bradbury Spring. Fluctuating low flow conditions occurred for a short duration in January and February due to frozen conditions and reduced runoff. In May, short-term lower flows were observed due to the timing and duration of spring snowmelt which primarily occurred in April and resulted in a diminished melting snowpack in May. BlueTriton communicated these conditions to the DEP as required in its permit. However, as expected stream flows naturally drop from year to year between the summer and fall seasons based on seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation. Despite these fluctuating seasonal trends, BlueTriton has complied with its permit conditions since spring water withdrawal for bottling began at Bradbury Spring in 2008.

The flows at the downstream monitoring location (SP-CONF) were generally well above the minimum flow criteria during 2023 due to the above-normal precipitation. Low flow conditions occurred during February and March 2023, when precipitation was below normal and the ground was frozen. High flow conditions exceeded the capacity of the measuring flume in early May, June and December. BlueTriton has complied with its permit conditions since spring water withdrawal for bottling began at Bradbury Spring in 2008.

FUTURE MONITORING
BlueTriton takes its environmental stewardship responsibilities seriously and is committed to sustainable management of natural resources. Monitoring the groundwater, surface water, habitat and precipitation in Kingfield will continue for as long as BlueTriton withdraws spring water here.

Figure 3: Surface Water Monitoring Data

SUMMARY
Water withdrawals by BlueTriton at Bradbury Spring in Kingfield, Maine are overseen by its independent hydrogeologists, the Town of Kingfield, the Kingfield Water District and the DEP. BlueTriton manages for sustainability through proactive monitoring and responsible use. Water withdrawal activity has not resulted in adverse impacts to groundwater, surface water, wetlands, or other existing uses located in the area of the spring site.

RESOURCES & INFORMATION

BlueTriton is committed to increasing the transparency of our operations and water stewardship practices through our Reading Room.

Questions about Bradbury Spring or the information contained in this summary can be directed to:

btbsustainability@bluetriton.com

Water withdrawals from Bradbury Spring are regulated locally and at the state level by:

• Town of Kingfield
 • Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection
• Maine Dept. of Health & Human Services
(Maine Drinking Water Program)

*Footnotes:

  1. The percent withdrawal is derived by taking the annual withdrawal divided by the total rainfall within the watershed that year. A watershed is an area of land and its streams and rivers that drain to a single body of water, such as a larger river, a lake or the ocean.