Thank you for publishing Sen. Nutting’s column, “Androscoggin River – the rest of the story” (Aug. 13).

Unfortunately your editor’s note seemed to say it is OK for the cities of Lewiston/Auburn to pollute the waters for their neighbors downstream.

Combined sewer overflows contain raw sewage. These discharges are dangerous and keep the Androscoggin River from meeting Class C standards. Even the Sun Journal, in a 2003 article, reported this.

Quotes attributed to Lewiston employees Kevin Gagne and Jeff Beaule, when they were taking river water samples after a heavy storm, included:

“Keep your mouth closed,” Gagne said, “you wouldn’t want any river water splashing in.”

“You probably don’t want to eat your lunch until you’ve washed your hands,” he also said.

And, Gagne said, “Most of the year, here on the upper part of the river I’d swim in it. …Unless there was a storm. Then I’d give it a few days before swimming.”

The article goes on to state the biggest concern for the state and federal government is combined sewer overflows. (Interesting…not paper mills.)

The article does point out the L-A sewage district has 12 years to clean up this problem. If it is given this amount of time, then why not the mill in Jay?

There is an old proverb. “People in glass houses don’t throw stones.”

I hope you will remember this as the debate starts on the Androscoggin mills’ waste water permit.

Sonny Hebert, North Jay