LEWISTON, Maine — A 30-million-dollar project to improve water quality in the Androscoggin River is coming to Lewiston.
This Wednesday, the Lewiston Auburn Clean Water authority will break-ground on the project that officials are calling critical.
Lewiston Auburn Clean Water Authority will break ground Wednesday on a 30-million-dollar infrastructure project that they say will improve public health and the cleanliness of the Androscoggin River.
Mike Riley with the Department of Environmental Protection says the purpose of this project is to help prevent pollution in the Androscoggin River during heavy rainstorms.
“Sewer systems that are combined, meaning they handle both wastewater and storm water, they can be overwhelmed by these big storms. Storage helps to capture that water before it gets to the river and they’re able to treat it to the river and release it to the river in much better condition,” said Riley.
Riley says the project’s outline is to expand the city’s treatment capacities by 20 percent. He says they are also building a holding tank to catch raw sewer and storm water.
“It’s going to take the next step and cleaning the Androscoggin River it’s been a multi decade effort,” said Riley.
Last year, the river saw historic flooding from record rainfall.
The Clean Water Authority says that rain caused over 110 million gallons of untreated water and sewage to enter the Androscoggin River.
That happens because floodwater backs up and bypasses water treatment facilities.
It’s a problem that Riley hopes renovations will finally fix.
“That’s a real pleasure for me to see the community face the river, rather than turning their backs for decades, when they were so heavily polluted,” said Riley.
