FARMINGTON – Preservation of the Sandy River took a step forward on Wednesday with news of a Rural Development grant/loan of $530,000 for the town to replace a pump system at the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

“The Rural Development funds will help preserve the pristine nature of the Sandy River by eliminating the threat of untreated wastewater entering the river,” Town Manager Richard Davis said.

Two large influent pumps will be replaced by a submersible chopper pump system, said Steve Moore, director of the treatment plant.

The plant, built in 1972 on the shore of the Sandy River, handles between 300,000 and 350,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The system was upgraded in 1993, but after 16 years of continual use, the large, circular screw pumps are in need of replacement, Moore said. The pumps bring the town’s wastewater into the system. A breakdown could create a potential overflow into the river.

Replacement of the influent pumps with the same type of pump would have cost nearly $1 million, he said.

The town has been working on the alternative system with engineer Kyle Coolidge of Woodard & Curran of Portland.

Two Maine communities, Farmington and Mechanic Falls, will receive a combined total of more than $2 million in funds. A total of 56 communities in 34 states were selected to receive $144.3 million in loans and grants for infrastructure improvements, including water availability and quality from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The announcement was made Wednesday to mark the 39th anniversary of Earth Day.

More than 70 percent – $387,000 – of the $530,000 for Farmington will be given as a grant. The town will take out a low-interest loan for the remaining $143,000.

The money is not part of the national Reinvestment and Recovery Act stimulus package, Rural Development acting state director Valarie Flanders said.