HARRISON — A volunteer watershed survey at Crooked River will be conducted starting in May of 2011. The survey is a joint project between the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Maine Department of Environmental Protections and the Western Foothills Land Trust.

The Crooked River supports one of only four known indigenous populations of landlocked Atlantic salmon in Maine. The landlocked salmon has brought international acclaim from anglers seeking this type of fishing experience and researchers seeking to restore salmon populations throughout the world.

The survey will focus not only on the river banks but also on the entire watersheds. Crooked River’s watershed encompasses approximately 120 square miles.

Water quality monitoring has found that the Crooked River is exhibiting signs of stress that is likely the result of polluted runoff that flows into the river from its surrounding watershed. The rising development pressure throughout the watershed is an anticipated source of this stress.

Through the survey, volunteers from around the watershed will be looking for sites where polluted runoff takes place. Information collected in the survey will not be used for regulatory or enforcement purposes. Rather, it is the first step in a long-term program to work with the community to correct pollution problems in the Crooked River watershed.

For more information, call Betty Williams, senior project manager, at 892-4700 or e-mail betty-williams@cumberlandswcd.org.