As superintendent of the York Sewer District in York Beach, I understand the importance of wastewater treatment infrastructure to the well-being and success of our state. I’m writing to urge our congressional delegation to support the broad federal infrastructure bill in its entirety.

Our district in York is a medium-sized wastewater collection and treatment facility. We have 44 miles of pipeline, some dating back to the 1800s, and we treat an average of 1.5 million gallons of wastewater per day. Like many of the 162 publicly owned treatment works in Maine, our facility was built in the early 1970s using Clean Water Act funding, which was predominantly grant funds. Now, nearly 48 years later, Maine’s Clean Watershed Needs Survey indicates that wastewater facilities have a current need of over $1 billion. Our facility alone represents $45 million of that total.

Clean water systems are vital public infrastructure that convey and treat wastewater from homes, businesses and industries, and thereby support economic growth and protect public health and the environment. During the pandemic, our systems provided a critical, central function, and the role of these facilities has been drastically overlooked.

Every resident of and visitor to Maine benefits from wastewater infrastructure in some way. Our systems serve not only direct users, but also those who work, shop and recreate in our service areas, and those who utilize and benefit from Maine’s clean streams, rivers and marine waters. I hope every member of Maine’s congressional delegation can support this bill.

Tim Haskell
York

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