RUMFORD — The Select Board voted unanimously Thursday to increase the sewer rate to $600 per unit.

Also approved were quarterly due dates, which are April 1, July 1, Oct. 1 and Jan. 1, with a 6 percent charge on unpaid bills, the same rate as overdue taxes.

The action followed a public hearing earlier before 20 residents, who were looking for information why the rate is increasing from $490 per unit last year.

Town Manager Stacy Carter said the unit rate based on the 2024 assessment from the sewer district. “Adding a little bit of money into the sewer capital fund and the capital fund because we have our own additional capital needs. We know we’re going to have to replace some sewer pump stations. The town maintains 20 pumps stations, seven of which were affected by the flood.”

Money is also needed for the sewer reserve fund and for contingency (things like abatements).

Roland Arsenault, superintendent for the Rumford-Mexico Sewer District, said that when he became superintendent in 2018, “The district was plagued with failures in critical infrastructure and equipment.”

Arsenault said the plant was built in 1976. The cost to operate and maintain the district infrastructure, most of it dating back 50 years, has become a costly expenditure to the users of the system.

In 2019, the district contracted with Wright-Pierce engineering consultants of Topsham to review all district assets to better understand how to address cascading system and plant failures.

“Given the age of the wastewater infrastructure, the assessment identified over $28 million in needed upgrades,” Arsenault said. “Unfortunately, the residents and businesses in the local area are not able to fund such a large and necessary upgrade. We cannot emphasize enough how critical this piece of funding is for the total funding package,” he said.

USDA OK’d Rumford-Mexico Sewerage District for a loan of $10.77 million and a grant of $8.8 million. Arsenault said the district was also awarded $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act fund from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

In all, Arsenault said they received $33 million in funding, including grants and loan monies. He said the owe $1.2 million in debt service over 30 years.

In addition, Arseanult said the Rumford Mexico Sewerage District is now required to have their sludge hauled out of town.

The change is due primarily to a new statute (LD 1911) related to PFAS contamination prohibiting the application or spreading of sludge, any compost material that included sludge or septage in its production, and any other product or material derived from or containing sludge or septage.

Carter said the town is continuing to use a unit rate, like they have in the past, based on the new assessment from the sewer district. Meanwhile, they continue to gather the data from ND Paper and Rumford Power that have flow meters. Those are the two industrial users that have the most use with the sewer system.

At the six-month mark, Carter said the town will transition to the newer formula, based on water consumption.

“When we get the data in from industrial users, we’ll be able to essentially be able to readjust the base rate and make certain we have an overage rate enough to cover the remaining six months,” he said, adding that users who don’t use more than the base rate will see a savings in their bill.

Carter said it’s likely the sewer rate will increase one more time, then level off when the project is completed.

He said the current number of sewer units is 3,122.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

New Community Quik Stop store planned in Peru

Next »

‘Heart of the community’: Principal describes new Mexico school for 1,000 students