RUMFORD — A hundred people gathered Friday afternoon in front of the Muskie Memorial that overlooks Rumford Falls to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Water Act, authored by former Maine Senator Edmund Muskie.

It is the nation’s first comprehensive legislation protecting water quality.

Leading the 30-minute event was U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who said, “Sen. Edmund Muskie is rightly called the father of the modern environmental movement. That makes Rumford its birthplace. This is also a time for us to celebrate a truly great American senator, Ed Muskie, for his leadership and for his vision in the development and passage of the Clean Water Act.”

She said when Muskie grew up in Rumford, he was “inspired by the beauty and power of this great river. At the same time, he was heartbroken by its degradation. Spoiled by decades of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and runoff from farms and homes, the Androscoggin had become one of the most polluted rivers in America.”

Collins said, “Developing the Clean Water Act and getting it passed was a challenge of extraordinary difficulty, but Ed Muskie was strengthened by two values that define Mainers: our deep respect for nature and our dogged determination to never give up.”

She said the Androscoggin River was heavily polluted 50 years ago, was unsafe for recreation, and deadly to fish and wildlife. “Today, it is a shining example of the progress we have made working together in restoring and protecting our waterways. It is an honor to join Rumford town officials in celebrating this golden anniversary.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks to Ned Muskie, the son of the late Edmund Muskie, Friday in J. Eugene Boivin Park in Rumford. Collins attended a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act the elder Muskie initiated. The two stand in front of the Muskie Memorial. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Chris Brennick, chairman of the Rumford Board of Selectmen, said, “This river has transformed from one of our largest liabilities to one of our richest resources. Despite this transformation, progress is not inevitable. All of us are obliged to serve as stewards of the environment.”

Concluding remarks were made by Ferg Lea, chairman of the Androscoggin River Watershed Council.

“The Clean Water Act didn’t just provide funding and requirements for sewerage treatment coming out of the pipe,” he said. “I think it had a lot of spinoffs that resulted in other programs and other legislation.”

He noted that many other people besides Sen. Muskie have been involved in the cleanup of the Androscoggin and the watershed.

Barry Mower, a biologist for more than 30 years with Maine Department of Environmental Protection, “was a tremendous advocate for the Androscoggin,” Lea said. John Nutting, who was a legislator, was instrumental in passing the color odor foam legislation “that made tremendous improvements in what we saw on the water,” he added.

John Maloney, senior land use planner who retired after 41 years with Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, “recognized in the early ’80s that the Androscoggin had a lot of potential for recreation, and did one of the first studies on recreation in the lower part of the river,” Lea continued. He also mentioned Steve Wight of Newry, who developed Friends of the Androscoggin in the upper part of the river and had some of the same impacts in recognizing recreation.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, gestures Friday to the Androscoggin River while addressing a crowd at the J. Eugene Boivin Park in Rumford to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the the Clean Water Act. She stands in front of the memorial of Rumford native Edmund S. Muskie, who authored the legislation. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The Androscoggin River Watershed Council is planning several events this year to celebrate the anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Visit www.androscogginwatershed.org.

Prior to the celebration, Collins visited the Central Fire Station in Rumford for a briefing on the plans for the new firehouse. She was joined by on-duty firefighters as well as town officials.

As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Collins secured $1 million for the Rumford fire station in the fiscal year 2022 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill that was signed into law in March.

The station is nearly a century old and has significant structural deficiencies.

Fire Chief Chris Reed said work on the new fire station will begin in August and take about 18 months to complete.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, gestures Friday to the Androscoggin River while addressing a crowd at the J. Eugene Boivin Park in Rumford to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the the Clean Water Act. She stands in front of the memorial of Rumford native Edmund S. Muskie, who authored the legislation.