Winter 2016/2017
In this Issue:
I am amazed at how quickly time passes; I don’t
know about you but for me, this year has flown by. Next month, I will have been
here at DEP as Commissioner for one year. In that time, I have traveled the
state in order to meet as many of you as possible as well as see first-hand
where you work and the communities where you live. This experience for me has
been one of the highlights of this past year.
As Commissioner, I have been struck by the diverse and dedicated
group of people who work at DEP and the incredible work that you perform on a
daily basis to protect Maine’s land, air and water. I realized early on, that
this is more than just a job; it is a personal commitment to be good stewards
to Maine’s natural resources. For all your hard work, I personally want to say,
“thank you!”
Congratulations to the following staff members who were honored
earlier this month at Staff Day: Paula Clark – Evelyn Jephson Award, Dawn
Hallowell – Steve Eufemia Supervisor of the Year Award, John Dunlap – Customer
Service Award and Wayne Paradis – 2016 DEP Safety Award. My sincere appreciation to all who participated
and helped make this year’s Staff Day a wonderful time to reconnect and
celebrate each other’s accomplishments.
Henry Ford once said: “If everyone is moving forward together,
then success takes care of itself.” DEP’s success is due to your team effort
and we thank you.
Happy Holidays!
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This program provides funding for municipal and quasi-municipal wastewater infrastructure for point and non-point sources and private water quality projects for non-point sources. The program offers low interest rate loans and loan principal forgiveness to promote sustainable infrastructure, maintain and improve water quality, and help maintain lower sewer rates for consumers.
The following municipalities recently received financial assistance through a CWSRF loan:
- The Town of Norway received a $111,840 loan with $61,198 of it in the form of loan principal forgiveness (similar to a grant) for replacement of approximately 120 linear feet of sewer line crossing Little Pennesseewassee Stream. $41,198 of the principal forgiveness is based on the affordability of the project for the sewer users and an additional $20,000 of the forgiveness will be matched by the Town for the development of a Fiscal Sustainability Plan, a.k.a. asset management plan, of their sewer and wastewater treatment plant assets. During this process the Town will inventory their wastewater assets, evaluate their condition and prioritize them based on remaining useful life, importance to the protection of public health and/or water quality, and importance to the operation of the system. The construction project was substantially completed this year and will be finalized in the spring.
- The Town of Mt. Desert received a $1,250,000 loan for replacement of the Bracy Cove Pumping Station. The pumping station is located near Little Long Pond and conveys wastewater to the treatment plant in Seal Harbor. Construction started this year and will be completed in 2017.
- The Town of Jay received an $830,000 loan for replacement of approximately 3,200 linear feet of force main sewer and 2,100 linear feet of sanitary sewer with services. This project was done as part of an MDOT road rebuilding project on Rt. 4. Construction has been ongoing for two years and was recently finalized.
- The Newport Sanitary District has received two interim loans to fund an upgrade to their lagoon wastewater treatment facility. The total project cost is $2,520,000 and is co-funded with the USDA Rural Development (RD) loan of $970,450 and grant of $522,500. The CWSRF program is providing the interim financing of the RD $970,450 loan, until it can be closed on, and an interim loan for $1,027,000 that will be converted to a long term CWSRF loan at a later date. The long-term loan will contain $610,000 in loan principal forgiveness. $600,000 of the principal forgiveness is based on the affordability of the project and $10,000 of the forgiveness will be matched by the Town for the development of a Fiscal Sustainability Plan. The major components to the upgrade are improvements to the headworks, sludge removal and relining of the lagoons, a new diffused aeration systems, replacement of the aeration blowers, and miscellaneous equipment upgrades. Construction is expected to start in 2017 and be completed in 2018.
- The City of Bangor received a $4,280,000 loan for upgrades to their wastewater treatment facility and combined sewer overflow sewer separation projects in the Court Street and Hammond Street areas of the City. The main components to the wastewater treatment facility upgrade project are the replacement of their aeration equipment and bio-tower media (honeycombed plastic media for organisms to grow on). Construction started this year and is expected to be completed in 2017.
Recent loans in the CWSRF program total $8,469,290 and based on industry standards have helped create or sustain an estimated 152 jobs.
State Wastewater Grants
- The Department awarded a $16,000 Overboard Discharge (OBD) Removal Grant to Tara Sargent in Oakland for the removal of a private wastewater discharge to Messalonskee Steam and a $20,000 OBD grant to Mark Libby in Bristol. Removal of the discharges will help improve water quality in the stream and water quality along Pemaquid Point.
- The Department awarded Small Community Grants to the following for the repair/replacement of malfunctioning septic systems that impact surface waters: Town of Stockholm - $5,000; Franklin County Commissioners (Madrid) - $11,000. Repair or replacement of these systems will help protect and improve water quality in these areas.
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Dave began working at DEP in 1983 as an Assistant Engineer
in the Water Bureau working in the Construction Grants Program on wastewater
treatment issues. The following year he transferred to the Land Bureau to work
on Site Location project reviews. In 1987, Dave began his work in the Solid
Waste program, with the last 13 years spent working on projects as well as
managing the Solid Waste Engineering Unit within BRWM, Division Director of
Technical Services. In August, he became the Acting Bureau Director of Solid
Waste and Remediation and was appointed Bureau Director in November.
Congratulations Dave!
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 Congratulations and best wishes to our recent retirees:
Norm Marcotte, ES IV, Division of Environmental Assessment –
38+ years of State service
Peter Blanchard,
Director, Division of Response Services – 26 years of State service
Wilkes Harper, Oil
& Hazardous Materials Specialist II – 27 years of State service
Harold Nilsson,
Environmental Specialist III – 20 years of State service
A warm welcome to the newest members of the DEP staff:
Mike Riley, Sr. Environmental Engineer, Water Quality
Management
Scott Wilson, Environmental Specialist IV, Sustainability
Division, Augusta
Megan Pryor, Environmental Specialist III, Sustainability
Division, Augusta
Jennifer McGill, Environmental Specialist II, Land Division,
Portland
Beth Vieta, Office Associate II, BLR, Augusta
James Ross Environmental Specialist II, Air Lab
As part of our commitment to supporting and engaging our partners in environmental protection, DEP and our partners host many educational opportunities across Maine. For a complete list of training opportunities, visit the Maine DEP Training web page.
Training Resources
Tank Smart Online Operator Training
Asbestos and Lead Training Opportunities
Code Enforcement Officer training calendar
Maine DOT Local Roads Program workshops
The Highlands Retirement Community in Topsham Maine became
the first retirement community certified as an Environmental Leader by Maine Department
of Environmental Protection. The
residents formed a Go Green Team Committee that included residents and staff
from the Highland’s management team. Their collaborative sustainability efforts
demonstrated how a retirement community can reduce their environmental impact
by implementing fairly simple modifications to daily activities and processes such
as the following:
- Forming the Go Green Committee initiated by residents and supported by staff
- Recycling kitchen cooking oils;
- Compositing both food service and residents’ food waste;
- Purchasing and using eco-friendly cleaning and lawn products;
- Installing solar panels to preheat hot water;
- Purchasing local foods;
- Installing energy efficient lighting and posting light switch reminders to turn off when not in use;
- Reducing paper usage through increased e-technology;
- Implementing proper disposal of medications;
- Utilizing salt water in the indoor pool;
- Implementing a recycling program including signage to remind staff and residents to recycle; and
- Offering education programs focused on the environment.
Bill Ewing, a resident and Go Green Committee member, stated
“Our intention is to share with our community the importance of making a
commitment to “environmental sustainability” and show how a retirement
community can make great improvements with fairly simple modifications. The
certification process was a wonderful guide in this process.”
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Warmest thoughts and Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday and a very Happy New Year!
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