An expenditure of up to $5,000 was approved Tuesday night, Sept. 17, by Livermore Falls selectmen to change the water source for pumps at the wastewater treatment facility in Livermore Falls. Selectmen from left Bruce Peary, Jim Long and William Kenniston approved the expenditure. Selectmen Jeffrey Bryant and John Barbioni were absent. File photo/Livermore Falls Advertiser

LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, Sept. 17, approved spending up to $5,000 from the joint sewer reserve account to change the water source at the wastewater treatment facility.

The facility had been using water from the facility but in order for the warranty on the new pump seals to be honored, a change to using city water is required by the pump manufacturer, according to Mark Holt, superintendent. A city water hose bib in the primary pump room to perform wash down with city water also needs to be installed, is included, he noted.

One new flow pump is in service currently and three others are planned in the near future as part of the wastewater treatment facility upgrade, Holt said. Brackett Mechanical had a cancellation allowing the work to be performed this week, he stated.

Holt apologized for not bringing this for approval prior to the work being done. He felt it best to get it done as soon as possible, not take a chance on having a pump failure and the warranty voided due to an improper water supply. He said he talked to Carrie Castonguay and Shiloh LaFreniere, town managers respectively of Livermore Falls and Jay, who gave him the green light. He thought the cost might be less than the $5,000 estimate he was given.

“It is in our best interest to do it, the town managers agreed,” Holt said. The water line only activates when the seal opens, so the amount of water used will be very minimal, won’t be noticed on the water bill, he stated.

The joint sewer reserve account has a balance of about $172,000 after approved expenditures of approximately $22,000, Holt said. The account receives about $70,000 annually from septic revenues from Jay and Livermore Falls, he noted.

The facility is owned and operated by Livermore Falls and was built around 1972 and upgraded in 1998. It serves sewer users in Livermore Falls and Jay.

In other business, Richard Greenwald was appointed CEO [Code Enforcement Officer] and health officer.

Greenwald is a certified CEO, a licensed plumbing inspector and licensed health code officer, Castonguay noted. “We are happy he is here,” she said.

Greenwald’s hours will be Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.