AUBURN – With no Native American artifacts found, the Summer Street sewer extension project will now move forward.

Auburn Water and Sewerage District Superintendent Norm Lamie told the Sewer District trustees Tuesday that the permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection should be issued soon. “That was the only hold on it,” he said.

The Maine Historical Preservation Commission was concerned that arrowheads and other artifacts could have been buried in the path of the Summer Street project because of a stream nearby that would have made the site a desirable location for camps or villages. The request delayed work and could have cost the district as much as $4,000. The total cost of that project is $160,000. Completion is expected in the spring of 2004.

The 2,500-foot sewer extension on Summer Street is one of nine capital improvement projects this year.

In another matter, Lamie reported the completion of the 250-foot sewer extension on Lufkin Street, a short residential street off Manley Road near Poliquin Avenue. The total cost of that project was about $12,000.

A 560-foot sewer extension on Oak Hill Road near Lake Auburn is being completed this week. The project exceeded an estimated cost of $25,000 by about $4,000 due to ledge in the area where the crew was digging, according to Lamie. He said blasting was not necessary.

The board also discussed the elimination of Combined Sewer Overflows. The district has a $363,008 contract with Longchamps & Sons Inc., of Lisbon, for several overflow elimination projects this year. Lamie said all of New Auburn has been completed. Work is currently being done in front of the Water and Sewerage District building.

The elimination of combined sewer overflows will put Auburn into compliance with an unfunded government mandate to comply with provisions of the federal Clean Water Act. It calls for the implementation of a sewer separation plan to prevent wastewater from mixing with storm water. The cost to Auburn is $18.4 million over 14 years. About 120 miles of aging sewer mains, some dating to 1850s, run beneath Auburn’s streets. Lewiston is doing similar projects.