MADRID TOWNSHIP – A year’s worth of human waste in the dirt basement of the old Madrid store may be polluting the Sandy River, and officials are investigating who’s responsible for enforcing its cleanup.

An anonymous voice message left for Jim Crowley of the state Department of Environmental Protection in September alerted him to the problem.

Crowley contacted Harold “Bud” Haggan, the plumbing inspector for Madrid Township, who told him the building belonged to Jack Bubier.

When Crowley met Bubier at the property Nov. 9 and asked to inspect the premises, Bubier told him his plumbing system had “collapsed,” Crowley said.

He was led to a dirt-floor basement with a low ceiling and no lighting, he said. He could see a pipe that dumped sewage directly onto the basement floor and piles of about a year’s worth of human waste, he estimated.

“It is a rather coarse situation,” he said, adding he was thankful it was a cold day when he was there.

“It is entirely probable that liquid carrying whatever it is carrying is leaching through the (dirt) foundation and could potentially end up in the Sandy River,” he added.

The building stands about 20 feet from the riverbank and at high water in the spring Crowley suspects the river might run right up to it.

“It’s a big health issue,” he said. “Who addresses this?”

According to Russell Martin, program director for the Division of Health Engineering, a local plumbing inspector could enforce plumbing codes. But Haggan, an inspector for 30 years, said he wasn’t clear if he’s responsible. He said he would ask state plumbing inspector Brent Lawson for assistance.

Lawson was unavailable for comment.

Bob McKee of the Land Use Regulation Commission, which has jurisdiction over land use laws in townships, said Thursday that “under the broad picture, this does fall under our jurisdiction.” He said he would normally refer this sort of thing to “a sister agency with staff and training to address the issues.”

Meanwhile, Crowley sent a letter to Bubier telling him his plumbing was not legal and needed to be fixed. He said he suspected Bubier will just move out and abandon the building.

“Then the place will sit. Then what?” Crowley asked.

Bubier is a veteran and quite ill, traveling to Togus several times weekly for medical treatment, he said, and does not appear to have the means to repair the plumbing system or pay for the cleanup.

Rick Brackett of Clean Harbors in South Portland estimated cleanup costs to be anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 or more.

Doreen Sheive, fiscal administrator for the unorganized territories, said the unorganized territories do not money for such an expense.

Neither does Franklin County.

“We have no funding or resources to help the situation,” Commissioner Gary McGrane said.

Several attempts to reach Bubier were unsuccessful.