March 2020
March 24, 2020
To: All Maine POTWs and Satellite Sewer Collection Systems
RE: COVID–19 Guidance
Dear Wastewater Professional,
First, I hope you are all healthy and managing well during the COVID-19 pandemic (pandemic). Now more than ever your efforts to manage Maine’s wastewater infrastructure is sincerely appreciated. Thank you for the work you are doing to protect public health and the waters of the state.
We realize that this may be a very challenging time for you. We expect there may be staffing shortages that will require you to make operational changes and that not every routine task may be able to be accomplished. There may be increased infrastructure malfunctions due to non-flushables entering the system. There may be supply chain interruptions for chemicals, equipment, and supplies. And there may be other challenges that we have not foreseen. The Department’s focus during the pandemic will be to do everything we can to help you keep the collection systems operational and provide the best level of treatment you can with the resources you have, and to ease your minds regarding regulatory issues.
Assistance from your DEP inspector: Our inspectors will contact you via phone or email periodically to check in on any challenges you are facing and to see where we can assist. Please continue to use your inspector as your primary point of contact with the Department. During this time please keep in regular communication with your inspector regarding any issues you are having. We will do our best to help you troubleshoot issues and get you the assistance you may need. We are coordinating our efforts with MeWEA, MRWA, MWUA and the MEWARN.
Attached please find the Department’s COVID–19 Guidance for POTWs and Satellite Collection Systems. This guidance provides a variety of important information.
Please contact me at 287-7700, or brian.w.kavanah@maine.gov if you have any comments or questions.
Sincerely,
BRIAN KAVANAH
Director, Bureau of Water Quality
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
COVID–19 Guidance for POTWs and Satellite Collection Systems
The priority of wastewater management should be the safety of wastewater collections and treatment staff. This means routine safety from pathogens as well as physical safety in times of reduced staffing. Please see the following links for general and wastewater specific COVID-19 guidance. These sites are continually updated with guidelines, resources, and news on the current state of the situation.
Water Environment Federation: Water Professional's Guide to COVID-19
https://www.wef.org/news-hub/wef-news/the-water-professionals-guide-to-the-2019-novel-coronavirus/
Federal CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2Findex.html
World Health Organization (WHO):
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance
Maine CDC:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml
If staffing levels are reduced, routine tasks must be prioritized. The Department recognizes that ensuring proper operation of the collection system, pump stations and the treatment works is the top operational priority. Limited resources should first be devoted to ensuring the wastewater gets to the POTW and the wastewater gets the highest level of treatment possible with the resources that are available. If reduced staffing levels have the potential to impact the quality of your effluent, contact your DEP inspector. Also, continue to report emergencies and/or bypasses (including, but not limited to disinfection issues) to your DEP facility inspector. It is acceptable to either leave them an email or a voicemail if you are not able to reach them by phone. If for any reason your inspector can not be reached and you need to speak to someone, alternative DEP contacts are provided in the attached contact list.
If staffing levels are reduced, compliance with permit requirements may be impacted. The Department recognizes that reduction in staffing levels may impact the ability to fully comply with permit requirements. Again, as noted above, proper operation of the collection system and the treatment works should be the top priority. The Department may exercise enforcement discretion in these instances if all good faith efforts have been made to achieve compliance and you have notified your DEP inspector. Contact your DEP inspector if you anticipate or find that you will be unable to meet any of your license requirements, such as testing, record keeping, or reporting. It is acceptable to either leave them an email or a voicemail if you are not able to reach them by phone.
If testing were to be reduced due to severe staffing shortages during the pandemic, the Department prioritizes tests in this order of importance and ease of completion:
1. Flow 10. pH
2. Setteable solids 11. Nitrogen
3. Total residual chlorine (TRC) 12. Phosphorus
4. Bacteria 13. Groundwater monitoring
5. Total suspended solids (TSS) 14. Single metals
6. TSS % removal 15. Analytical chemistry
7. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 16. Priority pollutants
8. Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) 17.Whole effluent toxicity (WET)
9. BOD % CBOD % removal 18. Mercury
Prepare. The Department strongly urges that your facility management team and staff meet as soon as possible to “table top” various scenarios and devise plans to respond to various staffing or supply shortages. For instance:
• Due to the current increased use of non-flushables, pump station and other clogs are likely to increase. You should do everything you can to impress upon your users that only human waste and toilet paper should be flushed. A DEP press release on this issue is included with this guidance and at this link https://www.maine.gov/dep/news/news.html?id=2247340
You can promote this to your users in whatever forums you have available. You may also consider increasing frequency of pump station inspections.
• Members of the MEWARN should review mutual aid agreements. Facilities that are not members of the MEWARN may wish to discuss any informal agreements with neighboring facilities, or join the MEWARN now at: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/dwp/pws/meWARN.shtml
• Investigate the potential for operator sharing with other facilities in your area now. We also recommended you review the list of Maine contract operators included with this guidance. (This may be most important in smaller facilities with limited staff). The intent here is to provide for some minimal coverage for essential tasks if all staff are out sick.
• Cross train your staff on essential tasks. (Again, this may be most important in smaller facilities with limited staff).
• Ensure that all staff members have DEP inspector contact information.
• Prioritize O&M tasks and assignments and prepare your facility by stocking up on needed chemicals, supplies, PPE, etc. Helpful guidance can be found in this NEIWPCC document.
http://click.neiwpcc.org/neiwpcc_docs/9-20-2016%20NEIWPCC%20Extreme%20Weather%20Guide%20for%20web.pdf
• Research the availability of other commercial labs should you find yourself in the situation that your staff or your commercial lab is unable to maintain testing scheduling.
• Review your sludge disposal contingency plans.
Certified Operator Availability
If one of your certified operators, including the Operator in Responsible Charge, was not able to renew their license this month due to a lack of training credits, the Department is considering this employee to be certified at their existing certificate level for the duration of the State emergency as declared by the Governor. However, once the emergency is over, operators will need to meet the requirements of the law to qualify for getting their certificate renewed.
NETDMR Assistance
If you are having trouble accessing the NETDMR system to submit your monitoring information, you can either contact your facility inspector, or you can contact the DEP NETDMR administrator Brett Goodrich at 207-287-9034, or mainenetdmr.dep@maine.gov
Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water Quality Management
March 2020
Compliance & Technical Assistance Unit
WASTEWATER CONTACTS
Sterling Pierce - Unit Supervisor - 287-4868 - sterling.pierce@maine.gov
Portland Compliance Staff - 822-6300 - Front Desk
Stuart Rose - Portland Supervisor - Compliance Inspector - 822-6345 - stuart.m.rose@maine.gov
Matt Hight - Compliance Inspector - 822-6321 - matt.hight@maine.gov
Fred Gallant - Compliance Inspector - 822-6346 - fred.c.gallant@maine.gov
Augusta Compliance Staff - 287-3901 - Front Desk
Jim Crowley - Augusta Supervisor - Compliance Inspector & Pretreatment Coordinator - 287-8898 - james.r.crowley@maine.gov
David Bowie - Compliance Inspector - 287-8806 - david.g.bowie@maine.gov
James Knight - Compliance Inspector - 441-3840 - james.knight@maine.gov
Bill Johnson - Compliance Inspector (OBD) 287-7684 - william.johnson@maine.gov
Bangor Compliance Staff - 941-4570 - Front Desk
Clarissa Trasko - Bangor Supervisor - Compliance Inspector - 941-4572 - clarissa.trasko@maine.gov
Michael Loughlin - Compliance Inspector - 941-4578 - mike.loughlin@maine.gov
Kayleigh Sauda - Compliance Inspector - 941-4569 - kayleigh.a.sauda@maine.gov
Gary Brooks - Compliance Inspector - 561-5704 - gary.r.brooks@maine.gov
Presque Isle Compliance Staff - 764-0477 - Front Desk
Bill Sheehan - Presque Isle Supervisor - Compliance Inspector - 760-3136 - bill.j.sheehan@maine.gov
Sean Bernard - Compliance Inspector - 760-3135 - sean.l.bernard@maine.gov
Augusta Technical Assistance Staff - 287-7688 - Front Desk
Judy Bruenjes - Technical Assistance Supervisor - Environmental Engineer - 287-7806 - judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov
Brett Goodrich - Data Systems - 287-9034 - brett.a.goodrich@maine.gov
Department of Environmental Protection
Portland Office - 207-822-6300 / 888-769-1036
Augusta Office - 207-287-7688 / 800-452-1942
Bangor Office - 207-941-4570 / 888-769-1137
Presque Isle Office - 207-764-0477 / 888-769-1053
24 HOUR OIL SPILL - 800-482-0777
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL - 800-452-4664
Chuck Applebee - Water Quality and Compliance Services Inc.-380-4261
Acheron Engineering/Clear water Laboratory (contact Andy Wendell)-368-5700
CES (contact Travis Noyes)-989-4824 (Brewer)
Jon Carman-823-6222 (Unity)
Mike Harris-664-4404 (Ellsworth)
James Kiser- 862-4700
Ken Locke-989-5417 (Brewer)
Olver Associates (contact Bill Olver)-223-2232 (Winterport)
Frank Ruksznis-343-0193 (Guilford-Sangerville)
David Smith-827-3970 (Old Town)
Woodard & Curran Engineering 1-800-564-2322
Wright Pierce Engineering-725-8721
*This list is not an endorsement of any firm or operator. It is merely a listing of potential operators/firms that work in Maine and may be able to assist a WWTP in need of an operator. There may be other contract operators the Department is not aware of.
March 20, 2020
DEP reminds Mainers of what not to flush
AUGUSTA, Maine, March 20, 2020 — Properly functioning sewer systems are extremely important for the protection of public health and to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
To help keep these systems functioning properly, the DEP is reminding people that the following products should not be flushed:
• Baby wipes or cleaning wipes
• Paper towels
• Tissues
• Dental Floss
• Tampons and sanitary products
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Cat litter
• Prescription drugs
• Over-the-counter medicines
• Cigarette butts
Unlike toilet paper, these products do not break down and once flushed they are likely to clog the plumbing in your house, in your septic system, or in the public sewer system.
When these products make their way into the public sewer system they clump together, causing very large obstructions in the sewer lines. They get tangled in pump stations requiring repair of equipment and causing backups and discharges of raw sewage into basements of homes and businesses, and into waters of the state.
Due to the potential for public works staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, response time to repair clogged sewers could be substantially delayed.
Maine DEP and wastewater treatment facilities across the state reminds everyone to make sure they are only flushing toilet paper and properly disposing of all other materials.
For additional information, contact:
David R. Madore, Communications Director
(207) 287-5842
david.madore@maine.gov
or
Brian Kavanah, Director, Bureau of Water Quality
(207) 287-7700
brian.w.kavanah@maine.gov
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