DIXFIELD – Abutters plagued with longstanding problems associated with standing water at the Irving Forest Products Inc. lumber mill in Dixfield could start seeing some relief this week.

Town selectmen, however, have adopted a wait-and-see-if-it-works approach before stepping in.

At Monday night’s board meeting, Town Manager Tom Richmond shared photographs he took this past week of the drainage area that isn’t draining.

The mill is in downtown Dixfield at 24 Hall Hill Road but extends west toward Weld Street. Abutters on the north side of the mill have been plagued with intense mosquito infestations, which some, like Bruce and Alice Clark of Highland Avenue, have attributed them to water being sprayed on piles of stacked logs.

Mill general manager Toby Pineo, however, stated Monday in a letter to selectmen and abutters that woody debris has impeded water flows on mill property and is causing the problem.

Additionally, he blamed the town for contributing to the problem through municipal snowplowing excessive snowfall this past winter and failing to properly clean out full catch basins overflowing onto mill property.

“This year, the level of water and debris has unfortunately been impacted by the significant amount of municipal snow overflow,” Pineo said.

“Excess snow from municipal plowing is voluntarily accepted at our mill site, because the town has no other place to send it. The municipal snow pile has increased the amount of water and debris flowing into the drainage ditch at the mill site. Snow levels this past winter were extremely high and, it is only within the last six weeks that the pile has fully melted,” Pineo said.

Irving has been trying to improve water flows since the end of May by harvesting trees along a drainage. However, they ran into unanticipated contractor delays. That’s why, Pineo said, mill workers are now removing the debris.

In addition to the backhoe currently in use, Irving rented an excavator to speed up the work.

“Last week, a local contractor ran the transit line to establish the grade and elevation needed to improve water flow. This work has made a significant difference. We are now looking at options for the limited amount of water that remains.

“We appreciate the patience of our neighbors and look forward to improved water flows on Aug. 1,” Pineo said.

Selectman Norine Clarke said Tuesday that another issue behind the problem is a berm that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection had Irving build a few years ago.

“I don’t think it will take a major engineering project to fix this,” she said of the berm and a brook behind the berm that isn’t draining the area properly.

Clarke said selectmen were also advised by Irving that the mill was trying to determine if it is feasible to spray to control the mosquito population.

“The board is cautiously optimistic. I’m just crossing my fingers that something is going to work,” she added.

The Clarks declined comment, saying they only got Pineo’s letter Monday night.