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Rangeley resident Jerome Guervemont gets EPA award



By Ann Bryant , Staff Writer
Thursday, October 18, 2007

Jerome "Frenchie" Guervemont of Rangeley is one of five Maine citizens who will be recognized today in Augusta by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Gov. John Baldacci in observance of the 35th anniversary of the Federal Clean Water Act.

The five are being recognized for work each has done in to help make the Clean Water Act one of the most successful policies in the history of environmental protection, as stated in a news release. The late Maine Senator Ed Muskie authored the federal Clean Water Act in 1972 to protect lakes, rivers and coastal
areas from pollution.

Guevremont, Rangeley's municipal treatment superintendent, led his community as it built Maine's first tertiary water treatment facility, the release stated.

"I'm not what you would call a humble person but I can think of a lot of people who deserve this more than myself. Whatever I've done here is because of a lot of people that aren't going to be mentioned tomorrow," Guevremont said Wednesday night when asked about the award.

In terms of water treatment facilities, he said, tertiary is a third stage system. A step above what some towns, such as Farmington, have. Rangeley's facility was constructed in 1970 and upgraded to a tertiary one in 1975-1976, he said. It was used to cut back on the amount of phosphorus that turned Haley Pond green with algae.

Guevremont referred back to others who had been instrumental in the success of Rangeley's system. A state biologist, Matt Scott, worked to have the treatment changed from Rangeley Lake to Haley Pond so that algae could be discovered and treated quicker in the smaller water source, he said.

Protecting Rangeley Lake and ultimately Rangeley is a strong trait for Guevremont, said Rangeley Town Manager Perry Ellsworth.

"Frenchie is dedicated to keeping the lake clean and pristine. He's a driving force for the protection of the lake as it is Rangeley's major resource. Without the lake, Rangeley wouldn't be what it is," he said. "He always looks to the future. He looks at now and tries to plan to keep the lake protected in the future."

Guervemont has worked for the town of Rangeley since 1969, he said. Along with his work in the Public Works Department and as treatment superintendent, he also served as interim town manager, Ellsworth said. He's a civic minded
individual and a veteran, he said.

Guevremont "helps Rangeley be all it can be," he added.

Guevremont found out "by accident" Wednesday that he was to be honored. He had been invited to a celebration of the Clean Water Act and asked to write about what took place in Rangeley, he said.

Other recipients include Michael Sinclair, a chemical engineer at the Rumford paper mill; John Cole, a journalist and advocate; Dottie Dudley, an educator, and Dr. Jane Disney, a citizen scientist.

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