BETHEL — The Bethel Wastewater Treatment Plant recently received an “unsatisfactory” rating from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection because of cooking grease in its system.

As a result, selectmen Monday endorsed a plan for Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Warden to check the grease trap setups of some two dozen restaurants, stores and schools to see if they are in compliance with town ordinance.

According to the DEP report, “The facility has recently been stricken with a steady influent source of grease. It is suspected that there are one or more restaurants or kitchens that have neglected to clean their grease traps or are lacking grease traps altogether . . . An extra effort will be made by the CEO to inspect the food service facilities and make any establishments found to be in violation to come into compliance.”

The report said that specifically, “flakes” of grease are accumulating in tanks and equipment at the plant. The operators have added more baffling to help capture and retain the particles, and they also regularly skim grease from the tank. “Fortunately, these additional efforts are keeping any noticeable grease from being discharged in the facility’s effluent,” it said.

The treated effluent goes into the Androscoggin River.

“The bottom line is, we’ve got a problem,” Selectman Don Bennett said.

Town Manager Christine Landes said some establishments that are not in compliance might have to spend $3,000 to $4,000 to fix the problem.

A list of establishments in Bethel showed some have grease traps that are inside the building, while others are located outside.

Bethel Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Rob Gundersen said the exterior ones are the most efficient, because Mother Nature cools down the grease, giving it a better chance to solidify instead of being transported as liquid away from the building.

He said interior traps can work satisfactorily if the installation and size are correct. But, he said, some may be installed too close to the sink and therefore the hot grease flows right through them.

Gundersen said he has been told by some businesses that their traps are always clean, but that may be an indication they are not working properly.

The town officials also decided to put a notice in the next round of residential sewer bills asking homeowners not to dump cooking oil and grease down their drains. Rather, they should let it harden and throw it in the trash.

“It’s real hard on a septic system, too,” Gundersen said.

In all other categories of the DEP evaluation, the Bethel plan received satisfactory ratings.

Sewer budget

Also Monday, selectmen approved the treatment plant budget for fiscal year 2016.

Operating expenditures are projected to be $344,043, up from the previous year’s $281,570, because, in large part, part-time operator’s position was made full-time. The salary and benefits, combined with other employee benefit increases, account for about $43,000 of the increase.

Expanding the operator’s position was recommended for several reasons, town officials said, the most important being safety, because of the aging infrastructure at the plant. There have been concerns about only one person staffing the facility. A DEP safety report from five years ago recommended the equivalent of three full-time employees.

Under the capital improvement budget, selectmen approved using funds remaining from a USDA Rural Development grant/loan of $668,000 toward a new garage and dewatering system, as well as grit and influent pump replacements, at the treatment plant.

Also approved were $40,000 for a truck replacement and $15,000 to replace a water main on Philbrook Street. Those funds will come from user fees, town officials said.

An apples-to-apples, bottom-line comparison between this year’s overall department budget and that of the previous year is difficult because of the $1.3 million grant that was received, and the amount of the grant that was used each year, Landes said.

Also Monday, selectmen awarded the winter sand bid to R.A. Tibbetts for $6.95 a yard.

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