Pull-out chart:

Jay and Livermore Falls percentage of wastewater flow, operating and maintenance shared costs:

Fiscal year Jay flow percent O & M cost Liv. Falls flow percent O & M cost

2008-09 60.5 $200,000* 39.5 $130,579*

2007-08 59.1 $192.840** 40.9 $133,454**

2006-07 58 $162,037 42 $117,337

2005-06 54.7 $133,566 45.3 $110,613

2004-05 54.1 $133,566 45.9 $110,703

2003-04 57.1 $132,607 42.9 $99,629

2002-03 52.4 $117,401 47.6 $106,647

2001-02 52.2 $106,989 47.8 $97,971

*projected cost

**estimated June 2008 bill

Source: Jay Sewer Department Superintendent Mark Holt.

Jay’s share of treatment plant cost on rise
Increased business use drives up town’s share of plant costs

LIVERMORE FALLS – Jay’s share of the cost of running the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant has been rising steadily with more businesses using water in Jay and fewer in Livermore Falls.

Jay’s share of operation and maintenance costs based on a wastewater flow formula has increased from 44.3 percent in 1995-96 to 60.5 percent in 2008-09, while Livermore Falls’ share has decreased from 65.7 percent to 39.5 percent.

Livermore Falls owns and operates the plant that underwent a $5.8 million upgrade in late 1990s. The cost of the upgrade was split with Livermore Falls paying 51 percent and Jay paying 49 percent, Jay Sewer Department Superintendent Mark Holt said.

The plant now has a capacity of handling 2 million gallons of wastewater a day.

Holt said Jay hasn’t really grown a lot since he began working for the town in 1990. He estimates there are 10 new sewer connections since then.

But two more laundries have moved in, in addition to one that was there, and the town also has two new car washes, Holt said, and there are less vacant properties.

Those businesses use a lot of water.

“It’s been kind of steadily going up,” Holt said. “It is what it is. We have meters in place that are calibrated each year. It’s been a linear progression.”

On the other hand, Livermore Falls Sewer Department Superintendent Kent Mitchell said that that town no longer has a laundry or a full-capacity nursing home that did a lot of laundry.

Also gone are the shoe shop, and several residences on public sewer that were torn down or are vacant.

Livermore Falls has also been working to steadily replace century-old clay sewer pipes that were leaking and allowing groundwater to infiltrate into the wastewater flow, Mitchell said.

In 2001-02, Jay paid $106,989 for its share of operating and maintenance cost and Livermore Falls paid $97,971, Holt said.

The projected cost for this fiscal year is $200,000 for Jay (users and taxpayers contribute to sewer costs in Jay) and $130,579 for Livermore Falls users. Jay also has a wastewater treatment plant in North Jay that covers residences on public sewer in that section of town.

Operation costs have also risen during that time for several reasons, including increased chemical and electrical costs, and required testing, Mitchell said.