Easton resident honored for Maine water quality

    AUGUSTA — Governor John E. Baldacci attended press conference on Oct. 18 to recognize five Maine citizens who, as “unsung heroes,” not only contributed personally but represent outstanding efforts of their respective professions in making the Clean Water Act one of the most successful landmarks in the history of environmental protection. The occasion also marked the 35th anniversary of the Federal Clean Water Act.     Baldacci, DEP Commissioner David Littell and Maine environmental luminaries presented the recognitions at the Kennebec Arsenal site on the banks of the Kennebec River on Arsenal Street next to the former Augusta Mental Health Institute campus. Honored during the event were: Michael Sinclair, Auburn; Jerome “Frenchie” Guervemont, Rangeley; the late John Cole; Dotty Dudley, Easton; and Dr. Jane Disney, Mount Desert.
    “I am proud to recognize these Maine individuals who have performed above and beyond the call of duty,” said Baldacci. “They embody the vision of another Maine governor, Edmund Muskie, who, as a U.S. senator, penned seminal legislation directly responsible for 35 years of improved water quality in Maine, the Clean Water Act. These individuals exemplify the best of our state and show what a difference engineers, water treatment operators, journalists, educators and citizen scientists can make in preserving one of our most prized natural resources.”   
    Sinclair, a chemical engineer at the Rumford Paper Company, is credited with innovating lower nutrient input/lower nutrient discharge for industrial water treatment. Guervemont is the town of Rangeley municipal treatment superintendent who led his community to build Maine’s first tertiary water treatment facility. Cole was a journalist and advocate who introduced Maine readers, lawmakers and then-Governor Muskie to the environmental agenda of his day. Dudley is an educator responsible for teaching thousands of Mainers the value of Maine’s environment. Disney is a citizen scientist who has created a model stewardship program that involves Mount Desert students and residents.