Aging systems releasing sewage into
rivers, streams
America's aging sewer systems
continue to dump human waste into rivers and streams, despite years of
fines and penalties targeting publicly owned agencies responsible for
sewage overflows, a
Gannett News Service analysis shows.
Poland Spring seeks permit for
wastewater
The Poland Spring
Bottling Company in Hollis has applied to the town and with the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection to amend its conditional use
permit to allow disposal of wastewater through spray irrigation on
their Killick Pond Road property.
According to the application filed with the planning board in Hollis,
the proposal will reduce tanker truck transportation of the wastewater
by more than 1,400 tanker loads during the peak season of mid-May
through late September.
The application states 26 acres have been designated for wastewater
irrigation.
In Computer Models and Seafloor Observations, Researchers See
Potential for Significant 2008 “Red Tide” Season
A combination of abundant beds of algal
seeds and excess winter precipitation have set the stage for a
harmful algal bloom similar to the historic “red tide” of 2005,
according to researchers from WHOI and NC State.
Ellsworth:
City awarded $10.7M grant for plant
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural
Development national office joined local and state leaders Tuesday
afternoon at Union River Park to announce $10.7 million in funding
for a new wastewater treatment facility. It’s the second-largest
funding package of its kind ever awarded by USDA to a
municipality.
Sewer fees backed up
The future is murky regarding the amount South Windham residents will
pay the town in sewer fees after a proposed temporary
rate increase was defeated
at Tuesday's Town Council meeting.
Sand plagues treatment facility
Sand and aging equipment have recently
created a couple of issues for the town's wastewater treatment
facility.
An effluent discharge system has been covered by about 6 feet of sand
while a pump may be wearing out after being used around the clock for
16 years, superintendent
Steven Moore told selectmen on Tuesday night.
Senators rip EPA over lack of knowledge on drugs in water
The Environmental
Protection Agency was lambasted during a Senate hearing Tuesday
for allowing the American public to learn that
traces of
pharmaceuticals are in much of the nation's drinking water
from an Associated Press investigative series, not the federal
government.
Winslow Council
Rejects Sewer Deal
Town councilors have rejected an offer
by FPL Energy to split the cost of protecting a town sewer line that
will be exposed as a result of the planned removal of Fort Halifax
Dam. Call it a $257,000 gamble.
That's the estimated cost of relocating the line, which currently runs
beneath the lake created by the
100-year-old
hydroelectric dam that is scheduled to be breached this summer.

The
New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) and New England Water
Environment Association (NEWEA) have teamed up to raise money and
awareness for Water For People. NEWWA and NEWEA cordially invite
you to step up to the plate and support Water For People at its
3rd New England WFP Gala Celebration on Saturday, May 10 at
America’s most beloved ballpark, Fenway Park in Boston. More
information on the Gala is
available here. If your organization would like to become a
sponsor for this event worthy event you may learn more on how to
do so
by visiting this page. You may also visit
www.waterforpeople.org to learn more about Water For
People.
Filament Identification and Process Control
in the Activated Sludge Process
Training Sponsored by NEIWPCC & Woodard & Curran

This
2 day workshop will cover the microbiology of activated sludge systems
and will provide the participant with hands-on training in microscopic
identification and assessment techniques for poor floc formation,
dispersed growth, bacterial foaming, and filamentous bulking.
Identification of filamentous bacteria in activated sludge will be
emphasized.
For more
information and a registration brochure check here.
Randolph Town faces state deadline on
sewage
Town officials are nearing a deadline to
make changes to sewers that would stop septic overflows into the
Kennebec River during heavy rain. Board of Selectmen Chairman Robert
Davis said he recognizes the town needs to take action this summer to
further reduce dumping sewage into the river during times of high
water flow, especially with a
2009 Maine
Department of Environmental Protection deadline coming up.
Scientist Says Drugs in Water an
Issue, But Not for Maine
The discovery of
pharmaceuticals in the nation’s drinking water supplies underscores
the need to protect the resource.
A five-month study conducted by the Associated Press revealed that
tiny amounts of prescription and over-the-counter medicines have been
detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas
nationwide,
affecting the drinking water sources of some 41 million Americans.
Maine Rural
Water Association Goes to Washington!
In January, Steve Levy and Kirsten
Hebert made their annual trip to Washington DC to speak with Maine's
Congressional Delegation. Among the issues on the agenda, MRWA talked
about continued
support for rural water grassroots environmental and compliance
initiatives.
Tests show high level of E. coli in
St. Croix River
The river that serves as the
international boundary between New Brunswick and Maine has high levels
of E. coli, according to a local watchdog environmental agency.
Tests conducted at several locations in St. Stephen over the past two
years have revealed that the St. Croix River has an Escherichia coli
level that is off the charts, according to the
St. Croix Estuary
Project Inc.
John Peckenham: On a mission for
safe water
The detection of pharmaceuticals in
reservoirs, lakes and streams is a reminder that there are
consequences to how we care for our health and appearance. No one
anticipated this problem, but we can take steps to try to improve the
situation. Researchers at the University of Maine are already leading
the nation in new ways to understand and
manage the
presence of pharmaceuticals in water.
Judge orders detailed study of HoltraChem pollution
A federal judge has concluded
that mercury pollution in the lower Penobscot River poses substantial
risks to wildlife as well as people and has ordered scientists to
evaluate whether a massive cleanup effort is necessary or even
feasible.
In a 117-page report filed in January with the U.S. District Court in
Portland, a team of researchers said sediment and animals near the
former HoltraChem facility in Orrington and downstream had clearly
elevated levels of
toxic mercury.
Bowers: The Water's Fine
Amid national
reports of pharmaceuticals in the water supply, and a Maine Department
of Environmental Protection survey making the rounds,
Damariscotta's Great Salt Bay Sanitary District customers can rest
easy.
No Standards to Test for
Drugs in Water
Just a century ago, this historic city
notched by the Delaware and Schuylkill treated these rivers as public
sewers, but few cared until the waters ran black with stinking filth
that spread cholera and typhoid. Today,
municipal drinking water is cleansed of germs — but not drugs.
Top
Send mail
to administration with questions
or comments about this web site.
Last modified: