LIVERMORE FALLS — Maine’s Congressional delegation announced Friday that they have secured $1.7 million for the $14 million upgrade to the sewer plant that serves residents here and in Jay.

The $14 million upgrade to the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Livermore Falls plant is receiving $1.7 million in federal aid, it was announced Friday. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal file photo

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden announced the passage of the omnibus funding package by the House and Senate that includes money for the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant.

It heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The money is in the fiscal year 2022 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.

As of Friday, the project had $8.25 million in grants and $5.74 million in loans, Sewer Superintendent Mark Holt wrote in an email Friday.

The upgrade is about 16% complete, he wrote. Livermore Falls owns the plant but Jay is sharing half the cost of the upgrade. Operation and maintenance costs are based on the amount of sewage from each town treated at the plant.

The project is roughly $100,000 under budget with more cost-saving change orders pending, Holt wrote.

“However, change orders are a volatile line item to track and can go the other way quickly, so we can’t hang our hat on the overall project coming in under budget just yet,” he wrote. “In order to process the change orders, which are ultimately due to a design change, we incur additional engineering costs for work outside the scope of the original services to be provided by the engineer.

“These additional engineering costs will reduce the amount of savings we will realize from the change orders,” he wrote. “However, the change order savings typically outweigh the additional engineering costs by a 4-to-1 margin. Keep in mind that any change orders that increase the cost of the project also end up costing us more for the associated engineering as well. This is why I say that tracking the change orders is a volatile line item which can go the other way quickly.”

The plant was built in the early 1970s and underwent a partial upgrade in 1998. This time the focus is on deteriorating concrete, reconstruction of the sludge holding tanks, primary clarifiers, chlorine contact chamber, water pumps, primary sludge tanks, tank drain pumps, and all additional construction or reconstruction necessary.

“Maintaining and upgrading wastewater systems is vital to ensuring the economic and environmental health of the community,” Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said in a news release. “I strongly advocated for these significant investments at the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will help improve this essential infrastructure for residents and businesses in Livermore Falls and Jay as well as protect local water supplies.”

For decades, the treatment facility has helped protect the health of communities and support local economies along the Androscoggin River with cleaner water, according to Golden.

“However, this half-century-old facility needs upgrades and repairs and I’m proud to help deliver funding to make those investments,” he said in a release. “This investment will make sure the facility runs smoothly for decades to come, benefiting the next generation of taxpayers and businesses in Jay and Livermore Falls.”

Modern wastewater systems are absolutely essential for healthy, successful communities, King stated in the release.

“The $1.7 million investment in the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant is an important step to improve the effectiveness of these systems for the Livermore Falls area and ensure the safety of local water supplies. I look forward to seeing the significant improvements that will be made with these funds,” King said.

Holt said he had his fingers crossed for additional grants as part of the 2023 Maine Department of Environmental Protection Clean Water State Revolving Fund funding package. He said he plans to apply for more funding in January or February 2023.

The project was not eligible for the 2022 DEP funding because the town received funds from this program for the 2020 and 2021.

Holt said he also plans to seek funds from more sources to further reduce the debt incurred for the upgrade.

“My goal is to get to somewhere near the 70 to 75%  grant funding level for this project,” he wrote.