EAGLE LAKE, Maine — The Northern Border Regional Commission recently awarded Eagle Lake $250,000 to help fund a $5,882,000 project to upgrade the town’s sewer system.
The changes will help prevent system failure and will make the town’s sewer system compliant with existing regulations.
This is the most recent of numerous grants awarded to the town’s water and sewer district.
Last year, the water and sewer district received $1 million through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. And in late 2022, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins helped the town secure $1 million for the project as part of the Interior and Environment appropriations bill.
The nearly $6 million project involves replacing the existing system’s lagoon liners and aeration system and constructing a new headworks building.
The project also includes telemetry and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems. SCADA systems help control and monitor industrial devices.
Three other pump stations will also receive new pumps, valves and modern controls.
“Our community is fortunate to receive the grant,” Eagle Lake Town Manager John Sutherland said. “The water and sewer district is doing a large undertaking. It’s a big project for a community of our size, and every bit of help that we get will help our ratepayers.”
Sutherland said this is one of several grants that the water and sewer district is working on.
“We’re looking at grants and all other forms of funding that we can come up with,” he said. “The more money that we can come up with, the less of a burden it’s going to be on our ratepayers.”
The Eagle Lake Water & Sewer District did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
