Maine Wastewater Control Association 
60 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330  

Site Map for Navigating the MWWCA Web Site 

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.


 

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