LISBON — A fine of more than $22,000 will be levied by the Department of Environmental Protection against the town for two sewage spills, unless the DEP can be convinced to lower the amount, town councilors learned Tuesday night.

The state also cited the town for not having a written operation and maintenance plan.

Town Council Chairman Fern Larochelle suggested the town “check with all our resources to see if we can bring the fine down.” That was after learning that the town spent $7,000 to have an outside contractor clean up the spill and $15,000 to put cameras into the pipes to ensure there were no leaks in the line.

Sewer Superintendent Ryan Leighton said the first incident occurred in May 2012 when town workers discovered a backup during a routine cleaning on Huston Street. The backup was traced to a blockage in the cross-country sewer line that runs between that street and Route 196.

According to the DEP, the overflow, described as “a buildup of solid grease and toilet paper,” had gone into a small stream that feeds into the Androscoggin River.

Leighton said the town reported the spill to the DEP, cleaned up the area and sent a written report describing the cleanup efforts. When Leighton met for the first time with a DEP inspector several months later, Leighton said the inspector had “not even read the town’s report.” When the town could not prove exactly how long the overflow had existed, the issue of paying a fine surfaced.

Leighton said the second overflow occurred in November when pump station equipment failed, and the alarm system and a backup alarm also failed. Leighton said the problem was traced to an electrical malfunction and has been fixed.

Councilor Dillon Pesce wanted to know why councilors are just now learning about the proposed consent agreement, which was submitted by the state last fall.

“Backups are not that unusual,” Town Manager Steve Eldridge said. “We can’t control what people throw into the sewer system.”

He added, “We took the initiative to take care of the problem. We didn’t know we would run into a wall with (the DEP inspector). We asked him to provide us with the methodology for how he arrived at the fine.”

Leighton said, “The only thing he gave us was a blank form for determining fines.”

Councilor Mark Lunt asked whether the electrical systems in the other pumps had been checked. Operations Manager Steve Aievoli said all were checked after the incident. Lunt also wanted to know whether the town’s other cross-country sewer lines had been checked. Eldridge said they had.

Councilor Gregg Garrison asked about the operation and maintenance plan.

“We have a draft plan,” Leighton said.

“If we end up having to pay this, we should move forward and make sure we have a plan in place,” Councilor Lisa Ward said, “so we don’t have to pay the equivalent of some people’s annual income.”