Wastewater facility to upgrade thanks to federal funding

Federal funding to the tune of $10.5 million (£6.4 million) has been awarded to the town of Bucksport in Maine, US, to fund improvements to the wastewater treatment facility. The US Department of Agriculture has provided a loan and grant package to the town in a bid to update an existing facility and reduce water pollution.

Improvements are to be made to the town's wastewater treatment facility that was originally constructed in 1988. It has acted as the primary facility for the treatment of wastewater and functions by removing solids from the water. Unfortunately, the plant only provides minimal chemical treatment for the wastewater before it it is released into the Penobscot River.

The facility has been allowed to operate even though it was not meeting with standards outlined by the Clean Water Act. The US Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the facility to continue operating under waivers, as it is the primary facility for the treatment of sewage.

However, both state and federal officials pushed last year for the facility to undergo modernisation after high toxin levels were found in fish downstream from the facility. Stormwater bypasses also revealed high bacterial counts during testing. As a result, an agreement concerning the the facility upgrades was reached in October.    

The existing facility is set to become the secondary wastewater treatment plant and will serve to remove solids from the water and add microbes to the sewage. These microbes will eat away any organic matter before the clean water is released into the river.

A new facility will be constructed, which will serve an area three times the size of the current plant and get rid of twice as many pollutants from the wastewater before it is released, according to Bill Olver from Olver Associates, which will design the new facility.

The town will also be providing $550,000 of its own money toward the upgrade project, according to Michael Brennan, town manager. This extra funding and the loan and grant package is likely to cause an increase in residents' annual water bills.