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EPA Honors Four Municipal Sewer Systems Three in Maine, One in New Hampshire

Release Date: 10/08/2002
Contact Information: Andrew Spejewski, EPA Press Office, 617-918-1014

BOSTON – Four municipal wastewater treatment facilities, three in Maine and one in New Hampshire, were recognized this week as recipients of EPA's 2002 National Wastewater Management Excellence Awards.

The South Berwick, Maine Sewer District, the Lincoln, Maine Sanitary District, and the Merrimack, NH, Wastewater Treatment Facility were recognized as first place winners, while the Bangor, Maine Wastewater Treatment Facility was awarded a second place award.

Treatment plants were nominated by EPA staff for their outstanding achievements. The awards recognize the staff of these treatment facilities and provide national recognition for the contributions to their community and the nation's goal of clean water.

"We should all applaud these communities and the outstanding treatment plant operators who serve them. It's their hard work and dedication that translates to something real -- something that New Englanders can point to with pride," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. These awards were announced recently at the annual Clean Water Act Recognition Awards ceremony during the Water Environment Federation's Technical Conference in Chicago.

The awards recognized the following achievements of each plant:

• The South Berwick, Maine Sewer District was recognized with a first place National Operations and Maintenance Awards in the Small Advanced Plant category. This district was chosen for its outstanding operations and maintenance practices. It has a collection system program that has eliminated a majority of the town's infiltration and inflow problems. It also has an excellent regional septage maintenance program that has generated enough revenue to lower user rates by $100/year per household. In addition, this facility has an exceptional process control program to address biological nutrient and phosphorous removal.
• The Merrimack, NH Wastewater Treatment Facility received a first place National Biosolids Management Award for Large Operating Projects. This facility was recognized for having put in place an outstanding operating program and for its leadership in being one of the first moderately-sized treatment plants in the country to develop an environmental management system for biosolids.
• The Lincoln, Maine Sanitary District tied for first place in the National Combined Sewer Overflow Control Awards. This district is selected for taking a pro-active approach to eliminating the discharge of untreated wastewater to the Penobscot River. The District has successfully put CSO abatement projects into place according to its 1995 Master Plan. This culminated in a treatment facility upgrade that included the addition of a system to treat and disinfect excess sanitary and storm water flows. The district was diligent about pursuing improvements that were effective, and its aggressive schedule resulted in the elimination of its last remaining CSO in 2000. (The district tied the Michigan City, Indiana Sanitary District for this first place Award.).
• The Bangor, Maine Wastewater Treatment Plant received a second place National Pretreatment Award. This treatment plant was selected for its outstanding work in administering and managing its industrial pretreatment program. It has worked closely with its industrial users, particularly funeral parlors and dentists, to further reduce industrial discharges into the sewer system. Bangor has implemented an aggressive mercury reduction program.