BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 11, 2024
Maine’s climate action plan estimated the cost of replacing low-lying wastewaterfacilities could reach up to $93 million. Moving Wiscasset’s wastewater treatment plant and demolishing the old plant could top $50 million. Residents of Bath approved a $25 million bond last year to upgrade their aging system, with work that will include upgrading the pump stations, some of which were at risk of flooding during the January storms. Municipalities continue to request state funding for wastewater facilities through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, created as a part of the federal Clean Water Act. But the aid provided has decreased. In 2021, 51 applicants requested a total of $235 million, and the state awarded $113 million. This year, the state was only able to award $67 million, despite getting 66 applications requesting a total of $392 million.