Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, secured more than $5.5 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) for water infrastructure improvement projects in Richmond, Brunswick, Old Orchard Beach, York, and Camden in the government funding bill for Fiscal Year 2024. Pingree successfully fought to include more than $16.7 million in CPF for Maine in the FY2024 Appropriations bill that passed the House today. 

“From protecting public health and ensuring access to clean drinking water to boosting sustainability and resiliency, modernized water infrastructure is critical to the success of our Maine communities,” said Pingree. “These projects I fought to fund in the FY2024 Appropriations package will protect the health and safety of Maine communities, support people staying in their homes, and help make our aging domestic infrastructure more resilient in the face of climate change.”

The funded projects Pingree secured are as follows:

• $400,000 for the Richmond Utilities District for drinking water infrastructure improvements, including performing needed storage tank maintenance and repairing leaks in the water storage tank to prolong the life of the existing facility and keep the tank in good working order. This federal funding will ease the burden of borrowing funds on the district’s small user base and will free up borrowing capacity for other infrastructure needs within the district’s service territory.
• $1,940,000 for the Town of Brunswick to install an 11,100-foot water line to the Bay Bridge community mobile home park and surrounding neighborhoods to bring a reliable drinking water supply to hundreds of vulnerable Brunswick residents who live in Bay Bridge Estates. The extension of the public water system will help meet and maintain Safe Drinking Water Act standards by bringing safe, reliable drinking water to an underserved area in Brunswick.
• $959,757 for the Town of Old Orchard Beach for upgrades to its sludge processing building and equipment as well as its remote pump stations to improve the processing and storage of sludge to mitigate groundwater contamination from land application of biosolids. The project will support the long-term sustainability and reliability of critical public infrastructure to ensure public health and safety and protect the economy of the Old Orchard Beach.
• $959,757 for the York Sewer District to improve the town’s wastewater treatment facility, including upgrades to the biological system to reduce nitrogen, improve water quality and increase energy efficiency; upgrades to the sludge storage tanks to reduce odors that are impacting surrounding neighborhoods by covering the tanks and installing odor control equipment; and mechanical equipment upgrades including the existing influent screen that is past its useful life to increase reliability and performance. Improvements to the wastewater treatment facility will help protect public health and the surrounding environmental resources.
• $1,310,000 for the Mountainside Community Cooperative Sewer Infrastructure to install and connect a sewer extension to an aging and failing subsurface wastewater disposal system at Mountainside Community Cooperative, a community-owned mobile home park in Camden that serves low to moderate income individuals aged 55 plus. The sewer extension would support the preservation of the 52-unit affordable mobile home housing cooperative and ensure an ongoing tax base for the town and the state. Without the sewer extension, the homes are at risk of drinking water source contamination, which has the potential to render all 52 units uninhabitable.

“This is outstanding news for Old Orchard Beach, and on behalf of the Town Council and myself, I want to thank Congresswoman Pingree for her continued support of our community and the recent grant award in the amount of $959,757 for the Wastewater Treatment Facility and Pump Station upgrade project. Her efforts have truly made a difference in our town, and we are grateful for her dedication to improving the lives of the residents of Old Orchard Beach,” said Diana H. Asanza, Old Orchard Beach Town Manager. “This project will replace the 38-year-old outdated and undersized electrical system, expand capacity and functionality at pump stations and the treatment facility, and will be designed to implement green infrastructure to the greatest practical extent while protecting public health, preserving wildlife, and supporting economic development vital to the Town.”

“The Richmond Utilities District is very pleased with the $400,000 in funding towards rehabilitating its water storage tanks. The District has been looking for funding for several years and having the funds will help allow the project to move forward. The water tanks are in need of rehabilitation and without these funds, this work could not be done without again raising rates significantly,” said Chuck Applebee of the Richmond Utilities District.

“York finds itself looking at more stringent nutrient limits, aging infrastructure, and a lot of uncertainty around PFAS,” said Phil Tucker, Superintendent of York Sewer District.“This grant will help us to start making the necessary upgrades to meet these challenges to protect our community.”

“This is such good news, and we are so grateful! This funding will allow us to proceed with this critical project which will remove the danger of our septic system's inevitable failure. Such a failure would create catastrophic results environmentally and financially, not only for Mountainside, but the surrounding area as well,” said Margaret Jones, President of the Mountainside Community Cooperative.

“The Town of Brunswick is grateful for the assistance of our Congressional delegation in securing $1,940,000 for the Bay Bridge Community Drinking Water project. The total project cost is approximately $3.1 million and is being partially funded by a grant from Cumberland County’s Municipal Sewer and Water Grant Program,” said Sally Costello, Director of Economic and Community Development. “This earmark funding will enable this critical infrastructure project to move forward which will bring a safe and reliable drinking water supply as well as fire protection to hundreds of Brunswick residents on Old Bath Road and the Bay Bridge Estates mobile home park.”

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