JULY 2024
The Maine DEP has prepared the draft 2024 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report for submission to the U.S. EPA in accordance with state and federal reporting requirements,
This report is available for public comment until 5:00 PM on July 22, 2024. For more information and access to the documentation (2 files), please visit www.maine.gov/dep/water/monitoring/305b/. Reviewers of the Report document should pay particular attention to the Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) required by the EPA for surface water assessments in this report. The CALM is described in Chapter 4 of the document.
For the first time, assessments for waters that present barriers to fish passage are included in a new Category 4-C-FPB (Fish Passage Barrier); the relevant CALM is included under the header ‘Support of Indigenous Species’. Specific surface waterbody attainment and impairment assignments can be found in the Appendices (a separate file). The appendices are broken into five waterbody types: rivers/streams, lakes/ponds, wetlands, estuarine and marine waters, and coastal designated beaches. Categories 1-3 are for waters that are not impaired, categories 4 and 5 are for waters or water segments that are impaired for one or more uses.
We encourage you to review the document and provide comments on the report. Comments become part of the public record and are published in the final version of the Report. All comments should be sent to:
By email: IRcomments.DEP@maine.gov By fax: 207-287-7826
Questions? Contact Meagan Sims at Meagan.Sims@maine.gov.
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Exam Testing Site Update
Bangor – The testing center at the Northeast Technical Institute (NTI) has closed. While a new location is being sought, there will be exams offered in the temporary location listed below:
Courtyard hotel at 236 Sylvan Rd. in Bangor.
- June: 25th, 26th
- July: 10th, 11th, 26th, 27th
More sessions may be added, depending on demand and the timing of finding a new location. Additional locations where operators can take the wastewater exam include Farmington, Portland, Presque Isle, and Portsmouth, NH.
Questions? Contact Spring Connolly, certification@neiwpcc-jetcc.org for more information.
Water and Wastewater Professional Day at Hadlock Field
Join MWUA and MEWEA on June 22 at Hadlock Field for employee recognition, BBQ and Sea Dogs game! Includes discounted entry and Sea Dogs biscuits. The game starts at 6 PM.
For more info, go to https://mwua.org/water-wastewater-professionals-day/.
Cybersecurity for Maine Wastewater and Water Operators - Virtual Webinar on June 25 from 9 AM -noon.
Join the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) and Maine experts as they discuss Cybersecurity risks and ways to combat them. Topics include:
- Risk and resiliency assessment of your system's electronic, computer, or other automated systems.
- Recent cyber security incidents highlight the need to protect utilities from threats, both physical and electronic.
- Ways to make system administrators, managers, and operators of utility systems more cognizant of the risks that are posed to its systems through electronic devices and help them create resilience against such attacks.
- Resiliency measures that all utilities, regardless of size, should implement to help mitigate any attacks.
Being aware of potential threats is one of the first steps to increasing the safety of those systems. To register, go to: https://wichitastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctdeCsqTgsGt1Dk4pXsl_iwh8ptlVj-24Z#/registration.
If you have any questions - please reach out to John Colclazier: john.colclazier@wichita.edu.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training for Tribal Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities - Virtual Webinar on June 26 from 2-4 PM.
EPA's Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division (WICRD), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will present on cybersecurity threats to tribal water and wastewater utilities and provide information about free cybersecurity services and resources available to assist tribal utilities in improving their cybersecurity resilience.
Visit this link to register: Registration.
JETCC Announces Hands-on Pipe Locating and Leak Detection Class in Hampden
Join JETCC for a hands-on Pipe Locating and Leak Detection Class on June 27 at the F.W. Webb facility in Hamden. This six-hour class is approved for both water and wastewater TCHs.
The class will cover the basic theory of pipe locating for both water and sewer utilities including:
- Ground Penetrating Radar
- How pipe locators work
- How to troubleshoot difficult locates
- Purpose and use of multiple frequencies
- How to handle and avoid bleed-off and distorted signals
- Tools for locating plastic pipe
- GPS mapping for utilities
- How leak detectors work
The course is presented by Eric Denslow, Eastcom Associates, Inc. & Cameron Keyes, Gutermann. For more information and to register, go to Maine JETCC - Joint Environmental Training Coordinating Committee.
2024 MWUA Summer Outing
Join MWUA and MEWEA for the Annual Summer Outing held on August 8 at the Cumberland Fairgrounds. Activities include exhibitors, training events, and networking followed by a cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, lobster, and steak with all the fixings and a corn hole competition. Don’t miss this year’s chance to network and have some summer fun! For more information, visit MWUA & MeWEA Summer Outing - MWUA.
MEWEA Peer to Peer Training
Ever wonder what it is like to be at a plant that is bigger/smaller, different technology than where you work? How other organizations handle issues that crop up at your facility? Now you have the opportunity to visit another facility, plus earn continuing education hours in the process through MEWEA’s Peer to Peer (P2P) training program.
P2P features customized, in-person training. The goal of the P2P training program is to encourage wastewater operators, mechanics, lab techs, and managers to visit wastewater facilities for a day to learn from the skills and experiences of others. The program is sponsored by MEWEA’s Treatment Plant Operators Committee. Areas of focus include:
- Operations
- Laboratory
- Collections
- Management
- Other (GIS, SCADA, IPP, etc.)
Note that credits will not be issued for just touring a facility. There must be a focused topic for training to be approved. While not a requirement for the host facility or person conducting the training, the person receiving the training must be a MEWEA member to participate and receive credits. All MEWEA members are eligible for up to 3 credit hours per year, and 6 credit hours per license cycle.
For additional information, contact the TPO Committee: meweaTPO@gmail.com or visit: Operator Training (mewea.org).
Monthly Training Calendar and Training/Certification Resources.
The monthly training calendar, which lists training by not-for-profit organizations, is emailed to certified operators each month. It can be found at the DEP’s certification website https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/wwoperator/ under the Additional Materials section.
The NEIWPCC/JETCC website, https://jetcc.org/index.php provides information on signing up for an exam, training classes, and certification renewal. Contact Spring Conolly at certification@neiwpcc-jetcc.org or call 207-253-8020 for more information.
Rental Assistance under the GI Bill®
If you are hiring a recent veteran for a water/wastewater position, they may be eligible for rental subsidies as they begin their new employment, according to Daryl Reed, SAA Assistant of the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services. They may also qualify for Apprenticeship and On the Job Training (OJT) programs. For more information, contact Daryl at daryl.reed@maine.gov or leave a message in the Maine SAA inbox at mesaa@maine.gov.
Water Warriors Jobs Initiatives
Many skills learned in the Armed Forces, particularly with equipment maintenance and science based programs, translate well into a successful career protecting the one thing no one in our country can live without, clean water. At the same time, many of our most qualified water/wastewater operators are reaching retirement age, leaving the industry with a labor shortage, not to mention the imminent loss of decades of institutional knowledge.
The Water Warriors Jobs Initiatives (WWJI) is a joint effort by the New Hampshire Water Pollution Control Association (NHWPCA) and the Maine Water Environment Association (MEWEA) to recruit and retain returning and retiring U.S Armed Forces veterans into the drinking water and clean water infrastructure fields. The WWJI promotes the water/wastewater field as a desirable career option for returning veterans. The objectives include:
- Providing education and training opportunities,
- Streamlining the certification process for our veterans, and
- Providing placement assistance and internships.
This initiative will require the coordinated efforts of industry leaders, veterans’ organizations, and government agencies, but the end result, getting veterans into good paying jobs while serving their communities, is worth it.
Please take a look at this video about military veterans entering the drinking water/ clean water fields: https://vimeo.com/user57485243/review/848142594/bd1bd8e4e9.
The timing has never been more opportune to provide those who served our country with a career that will provide for their future, while still allowing them to serve their local communities. The MEWEA contact is Peter Goodwin, pgoodwin@tataandhoward.com, if you would want to learn more about providing a returning veteran an internship at your facility or would like to participate in this exciting initiative.
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DMR-QA Study 44 officially opened May 17th, 2024. If you completed a proficiency study before May 19th we will still accept the results, just make sure to send the NPDES Permittee Data Report Form (found on page 13 of the study packet) along with a copy of the graded test results and laboratory checklists to the State DMR-QA Coordinator (Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov) by September 27th, 2024.
If your laboratory happens to receive a “Not-Acceptable” score for one or more parameters, you must complete a corrective action and perform retests for all parameters with Not Acceptable results. A copy of the corrective action report and retest results must be sent to the State DMR-QA coordinator by November 8th, 2024.
The full study announcement letter can be found at this link: EPA Discharge Monitoring Report - Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) Study 44 (2024).
If you have any questions regarding DMR-QA study 44 please contact Brett Goodrich at 207-450-5590 or Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov.
1. Sources of nitrogen found in the influent include:
a. Amine cleaning agents
b. Urea
c. Fertilizers
d. All of the above
2. Different forms of nitrogen found in raw wastewater influent include:
a. Nitrogen gas
b. Nitrification
c. Ammonia and organic nitrogen
d. Nitrates and nitric acid
3. TKN stands for:
a. Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen
b. Total Kinetic Nitrogen
c. Trivalent Kjeldahl Nitrate
d. Total Kellogg Nutrient
4. You would expect to see the highest TKN levels:
a. In the RAS
b. In the WAS
c. In the influent
d. In the effluent
5. Typical ammonia levels in the influent are in the range (mg/L):
a. 0.25 to 0.30
b. 2.5 to 3.0
c. 25 to 30
d. 250 to 300
6. Nitrogen compounds in wastewater final effluent:
a. Can be toxic and/or cause eutrophication to the receiving stream
b. Can help the receiving stream by supplying excess oxygen
c. Can hurt the atmosphere by bleeding nitrogen gas
d. Can help provide critical habitat for fish
7. If your MEPDES permit requires nitrogen testing, your in-house wastewater lab:
a. Can test nitrogen, and any other parameter in your MEPDES permit as long as your lab analyst is trained
b. Can test any parameter for permit compliance if listed in 40 CMR 136
c. Cannot test nitrogen compounds for permit compliance unless your lab is state-certified
d. Can be certified under FDA requirements for nutrient testing
8. Nitrification is the process in which:
a. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite, followed by nitrate
b. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia to denitrification
c. Carbonaceous bacteria convert organic carbon to nitrogen gas
d. Kjeldahl nitrogen is liberated to the atmosphere
9. Good conditions for nitrification in a wastewater plant include:
a. Cold temperatures, low alkalinity
b. Cold temperatures, low pH
c. Warm temperatures, low MCRT (young sludge)
d. High oxygen levels, warm temperature, long Mean Cell Residence Time (≥5 days)
10. If you need to add alkalinity to a nitrification process to keep the pH from dropping, possible chemicals you can use include:
a. Polymer
b. Chlorine
c. Lime or sodium bicarbonate
d. Methanol
11. The following information is given for a plant performing nitrification:
Plant influent flow = 10 mgd
Plant influent BOD = 180 mg/L
Plant influent TKN = 35 mg/L
BOD removed in Primary clarifier = 30%
TKN removed in Primary clarifier = 10%
Pounds of oxygen required for each pound of BOD removed = 1.1
Pounds of oxygen required for each pound of ammonia nitrified = 4.57
a. How many pounds of oxygen per day are required for BOD removal?
b. How many pounds of oxygen per day are required for conversion of ammonia to nitrate?
12. For the plant above, in order to nitrify in addition to removing BOD, the oxygen requirements are:
a. Double
b. Half
c. Triple
d. Quadruple
Answers:
1. d. All of the above can be sources of nitrogen compounds in wastewater influent
2. c. Raw wastewater influent contains ammonia and organic nitrogen
3. a. TKN stands for Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen
4. c. You would expect to see the highest TKN levels in the influent
5. c. Typical ammonia levels in the influent are in the range 25 to 30 mg/L
6. a. Nitrogen compounds in wastewater final effluent can be toxic and/or cause eutrophication (excessive algae growth) in the receiving stream
7. c. Cannot test nitrogen compounds for permit compliance unless your lab is state-certified
8. a. Nitrification is the process in which nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite, followed by nitrate
9. d. Good conditions for nitrification in a wastewater plant include high oxygen levels, warm temperature, and Mean Cell Residence Time (≥5 days)
10. c. If you need to add alkalinity to a nitrification process to keep the pH from dropping, possible chemicals you can use include lime or sodium bicarbonate
11. Using the pounds formula:
a. 10 mgd X 180 mg/L X 0.7 (remaining after PC) X 1.1 lb oxygen
= 11,559 lb/day oxygen required for BOD removal
b. 10 mgd X 35 mg/L X 0.9 (remaining after PC) X 4.57 lb oxygen
= 12,006 lb/day of oxygen required for conversion of ammonia to nitrate
12. a. Nitrification causes the oxygen requirement to double.
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