AUBURN – Friends of the Royal River, a regional land trust and water quality organization, has received a grant to assess possible stormwater impact on Moose Brook.

The grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will allow the group to train volunteers and conduct a field survey next week.

A stormwater-issues overview and field assessment training for potential volunteers will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport.

A field survey and assessment will be done from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, with a team of Youth Conservation Corps members and at least one member of the Maine AmeriCorps Educators from Portland. The field teams will be led into various sectors of the watershed by engineers.

Moose Brook drains a small watershed area around Route 202 and the Maine Turnpike interchange in Auburn and reaches the Royal River in New Gloucester.

The information gathered through the survey will be used to give the group a better idea of the problems facing the watershed and enable it to apply for grants that could be used to fix priority sites as public demonstration projects.

“We are hoping to build the connection between stream headwaters and the Casco Bay. Helping folks understand that the water that flows off their driveway may end up in the estuary is our greatest challenge. In watershed work, it truly is all connected.” said Zach Henderson, the Moose Brook project coordinator.

The Royal River’s watershed, the area drained by the river and its tributaries, covers about 140 square miles and parts of 12 towns: Auburn, Brunswick, Cumberland, Durham, Freeport, Gray, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Poland, Pownal, Raymond and Yarmouth. The Royal River empties into Casco Bay in Yarmouth, according to the Friends of the Royal River.

People can contact the Friends of the Royal River (847-9399 or [email protected]) if they are interested in volunteering or for further information regarding the training session.