LISBON – The Water Department will ask town meeting voters to approve two bonds to pay for improving the water system, says Water Commission Chairman William Bauer.

Water commissioners will host a public informational meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 6, at the Town Office to present their plans and answer questions.

Citizens may also contact the Water Department for information or call Bauer at 353-2780.

The articles will ask voters to authorize two separate bonds for $3 million and $1.2 million. The latter would fund a water line in Upland Road from Barker Brook to the intersection of Route 9 and Upland and complete the second phase of construction of the operations center at the intersection of Ann Street and Route 196.

While acknowledging approval of the two articles would increase water user rates, Bauer reminded residents that at $16.20 per quarter for 9,000 gallons of water, “Lisbon has the lowest water rates of any public water utility. We are 149 out of 149 water companies in Maine. If we doubled our rates we would still be 131 out of 149 utilities.”

The average water rate per quarter in the state is $52.35, he said.

The first benefit, he said, would be in the form of “greatly improved water quality.” The town would have a modern water filtration system to remove iron and manganese. The town’s water supply comes from a series of three wells. Using wells as a public water source, he said, “can and does produce both iron and manganese” that are sometimes referred to as “red water and/or black water.”

The second benefit would be a dramatic increase in water availability by locating and developing additional sources of water. There are certain times of the year that the town is pumping to its maximum capacity to meet everyday water needs.

Passage of the articles, Bauer says, would provide funds to construct two new “state-of-the-art” wells at the Moody Avenue site, which would provide for future growth in both residential and commercial customers. There are “strong indications that there is a very sizable quantity” of water available at that site.

A third benefit would be providing an alternative for piping water from Lisbon to Lisbon Falls. Now, water coming to Lisbon Falls flows along the Route 196 corridor. “If something were to happen to a section of pipe in the Route 196 line,” Bauer says Lisbon Falls could have low water pressure until repairs are made.

The department’s plan to install a new water main in the Upland Road and Route 9 area would provide additional water to Lisbon Falls. It would also provide water to accommodate future needs for residential expansion in the area of the new elementary school and the north side of Upland Road. The line would also provide increased fire protection in the area, Bauer noted.

The improvements would also provide the department with monitoring alarms to warn of changes in use levels, tank levels, fire or flooding, and break-ins.

A new system would also monitor pumping stations and activities “at the multiple stages of filtration and would hasten the necessary actions in an emergency situation. These facilities would also open valves to send more water from Lisbon to Lisbon Falls in the event of a heavy demand due to a fire.”