Bridgton recently opened a wastewater treatment plant at McKegney Way. Contributed / USDA Rural Development

Bridgton opened a new wastewater treatment facility on Nov. 7, ending a several year long construction project and allowing more than 600 homes and businesses to connect to the municipal sewer line.

According Bridgton Public Services Director David Madsen, the town started working towards the plan and funding back in 2018. Previously, the old system was a strictly graywater system, meaning all customers had septic tanks. However, this system, he noted, was at capacity, and had no room for expansion. This meant that the collection system could not reach certain neighborhoods, such as Stevens Brook or the more densely populated downtown, as quickly.

The new facility, located on McKegney Way, began processing wastewater at the beginning of this year, and was accompanied by the construction of four new pump stations, as well as upgrades to existing pump stations. Speaking to the Lakes Region Weekly, Madsen said that the collection system is larger, and the new treatment plant is able to take on solid water rather than just graywater, which is household wastewater without major contaminants. He also noted that nearly 5 miles of pipe have been put in the ground for the collections.

When asked if there was any meaningful change in the functioning of the plant, Madsen described it as a brand-new system, as it is now treating wastewater that it previously did not have the capacity or ability to.

“It’s kind of an apples and oranges thing,” said Madsen, “where you can’t really compare one to the other.”

A press release from the USDA Rural Development office noted that much of the project was funded by $23.2 million in grants and loans from its Water and Waste Disposal Program. Other sources of funding included $2 million in grants and loans from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, as well as $443,000 from Bridgton’s wastewater fund. According to Madsen, the amount of money that went into the project was voted on by the town before it was presented to the agencies. The agencies then agreed to give out loans and grants on the condition that the project met all regulations and requirements.

The town hosted an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 7. There, town staff offered tours of the plant, while staff and engineers discussed the impact of the project on local communities.

“It was a great turnout,” said Madsen. “All of the agencies that had helped through the whole process were there. The engineer was there who designed it. The (contractor) who built it, they had a presence at the ribbon cutting ceremony. It’s the culmination of nearly six years of work, to just be able to thank the people of Bridgton, the contractors, the engineers and the funding agencies. That was kind of why we did that.”