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 Maine Water Conference 2004
Notes from Governor John E. Baldacci
April 21, 2004
- Related to water quality protection:
Maine is nationally recognized for its work on water quality protection over the 30 years of the Safe Drinking Water and Clean Water Act.
Municipalities - big and small - run top-notch drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.
The State of Maine has an excellent water quality classification program, where even our lowest classifications exceed higher standards in other states.
The State of Maine has excellent watershed protection programs - 12 public water systems are able to use unfiltered surface water because these programs are very effective.
The State Drinking Water Program is receiving the 2004 EPA Environmental Merit Award tomorrow in Boston for this work.
Nonprofit and advocacy organizations such as lake associations and the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program have engaged thousands of skilled and motivated citizens as important partners in this effort.
- Economic development and environmental protection
Protecting our drinking water sources and maintaining infrastructure makes good economic sense.
For example, in 1995 BIW had to stop work for three shifts because of a "boil water" order caused by contamination or a storage tank. It cost them several million dollars of lost productivity.
Another example is the Limestone Project where grants and loans through our environmental bond will remove two municipal discharges from the Little Madawaska River and Limestone Stream by consolidating the wastewater treatment systems of the town of Limestone and the Loring Development Authority. This consolidation will remove two discharges from significant salmon and trout habitat and redirect them to a portion of the Madawaska River where the dilution factor will be increased by a factor of 35.
This will allow Limestone and Loring to grow by increasing their capacity for treating wastewater, which will add to the benefits that will accrue to these two areas because they are located within PineTree Zones.
- Rethinking how we use our rivers
Rethinking the balance between dams and free running rivers.
Penobscot River Project - a truly dedicated coalition of environmental organizations, hydropower operators, and governmental agencies has crafted a model for this transformation including:
- Enhancement of hydroelectric generating capacity on the river
- The opening of over 500 miles of prime Atlantic Salmon habitat on the Penobscot and its tributaries
- The removal of two dams and the creation of a "state of the art" fish bypass at the third dam
- Jobs in environmental protection
Improved environmental quality produces jobs, which we have seen throughout Maine.
Idexx Laboratories in Westbrook manufactures water testing kits used in over 50 countries worldwide. For each of the last three years, they took in $46 million in water testing revenue.
Companies like Vortechnics and Hydro International manufacture specialized stormwater control equipment here in Maine that is used by municipalities on four continents.
MTI is giving seed money to a small Maine biotech research firm to create biodegradable food packaging.
We invest about $40 to $50 million each year in our wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and this generates good jobs for many Mainers.
I'm concerned about one sector however.
There will be a growing shortage of drinking water and wastewater treatment plant operators in Maine. Many of our treatment plant operators are approaching retirement age, and there is no longer a certification or degree program offered in Maine.
Drinking water and wastewater treatment plant operators are our front line of public health and environmental protection here in Maine.
We need to better understand how the job market for drinking water and wastewater treatment operators will change over the next several years. We need to bring young Mainers to these important professions.
- Future of our waters
We have 30 years of the Safe Drinking Water and Clean Water Act behind us, and I want to be sure we understand the next 30 years.
We need a long term vision and a "capital improvement plan" for the watersheds that hold our lakes, rivers and streams, particularly those that serve as public water supplies.
We need stronger protection and enforcement authority for groundwater and surface waters that serve as drinking water supplies. The recently completed Source Water Assessments identified future development in water supply watersheds and areas contributing water to public wells as the number one risk to public water supply quality and quantity.
We need a water resources policy for Maine that provides a long term projection of our water needs and a plan to address them. Many of Maine's coastal communities are already experiencing water shortages. Those are the same areas where our population is growing.
Over the next thirty years, Maine faces at least $500 million in public drinking water system infrastructure needs, and approximately that same amount in wastewater.
What are our infrastructure needs here in Maine to meet the requirements of water quality standards and changing federal requirements for nutrient control, bacteria or other clean water act standards?
What is it going to cost to keep up with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act?
What is the long range plan for upgrading and reclassifying our rivers, because this information is needed as we plan for the infrastructure improvements needed by all levels (local, county and state) of government in Maine?
This Administration will soon begin a comprehensive capital improvement planning process for all types of public infrastructure - including drinking water and wastewater - to provide policymakers with a clear idea of how we need to invest in capital assets of all types over the long term.
Such a plan will provide us a roadmap to direct public and private investment and allow all of Maine's citizens understand what our future direction is in improving our State's water quality.
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