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

Plant Profile: Skowhegan, Maine Water Pollution Control Facility


Skowhegan, Maine Water Pollution Control Facility.
Photo courtesy of Wright-Pierce.

by Doug Hankins, Wright-Pierce

The Town of Skowhegan is located on the Kennebec River approximately 15 miles north of Waterville in Somerset County. Skowhegan has a population of approximately 9,500 people, of which an estimated 70 percent are served by public sewers. Sewered portions of the Town contain older combined sanitary/storm sewers as well as newer separate sanitary sewers and storm sewers (approximately 30 miles of sewers in total). The collected wastewater is conveyed to the WPCF for treatment and subsequent discharge to the Kennebec River. Currently, the Town utilizes lime to condition and stabilize the sludge after dewatering with ultimate disposal via land application.

The WPCF is staffed by 4 employees (Superintendent, Operator, Assistant Operator, and Mechanic). Normal working hours are 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Operator, Assistant Operator and Mechanic alternate weekend and holiday duty that includes a plant inspection and any required daily laboratory analyses.

The treatment facility was originally constructed in 1971 and was designed to treat an average daily flow of 1.44-mgd and a peak hourly flow of 4.68- mgd; however peak collection system flows just upstream of the facility at times approach 8.5-mgd during wet weather events. The DEP have required that the Town significantly reduce combined sewer overflow activity.

In order to address the CSO issues and general treatment facility issues the Town retained Wright-Pierce to perform a Combined Sewer Overflow Facilities Plan and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Plan. Recommended improvements from the planning process include:

• New Headworks Building and influent screening equipment.

• New storm flow treatment facilities, including primary effluent flow control structure, primary effluent disinfection tank and chemical feed system, designed to provide for peak hourly flow of 5.0-mgd through the secondary treatment process and a peak hourly flow of 2.5-mgd through the storm flow treatment facilities.

• Upgrading the aeration tanks and return sludge pumps and piping to provide for a contact stabilization mode of operation.

• Upgrading the secondary clarifiers to provide density current baffles and optimize flow split between the clarifiers.

• Upgrading the secondary chlorine contract tank, including new baffle walls and disinfection flash mixer, to improve disinfection performance.

• New sludge storage tank, sludge pumps, belt filter press dewatering system, and post-lime stabilization system, including lime silo, lime day bin, volumetric feeder and sludge/lime blender.

• New SCADA System.

Wright-Pierce performed design services and construction engineering services. The project broke ground in June 2002 and was completed on-time and under budget, in January 2004. Edward J. Leonard, P.E., was the Project Manager for Wright-Pierce.

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